Leap to Relatively Unknown
by MoonRaven95
Summary: Lari was worried. After his sister began behaving strangely, he'd been worried. And it had been years now. She just spontaneously lost interest in DC and suddenly got it back... Strange. He has a lead now. DC-World itself and Okiya Tsukiko. Finding and hacking his way in, what will happen. He's just following her footsteps, right? -Spin-off to Dream or Not.
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**A/N: Oh, hello don't kill me please. :) I decided to test a while ago to write a male protagonist and Lari(Jade's brother) seemed like a suitable choice. This is another 'Into DC World' fic but this is not my primary project. I'll continue this only if people want me to. I already have a couple of chapters ready that I'll post once a week.**

**I think I won't babble anything else yet and just let you read this chapter. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>The first file: New world, new life<strong>

**Sub-file one: Leap**

"- the hell!"

A desk chair clattered on the floor. Lari stared at the screen of his laptop with a mixed feelings of horror, curiosity and worry.

"She can't be…" The seventeen-year-old boy leaned closer to the screen and zoomed in the picture of 'Okiya Tsukiko' that had been the most recent discussion topic for two years now. Ever since Scarlet series actually. "She can't be…" He repeated and glanced at a photo placed a top of bookshelf. The latest photo of him and his sister Jade, taken two months ago before she left back to university. They had the same greyish blue eye color and the same sandy-blonde hair so it was clear to see that they were siblings. Jade was now twenty-one and had moved out two years ago, a bit after she finally regained her DC fangirliness back. Not that their parents had noted it at all. Lari was the only one.

But now was this case presented to the boy. Okiya Tsukiko had appeared all over the DC files. The original ones still existed and at first those 'Moon files' had been dismissed as fanmade creations. But to continue for so long and the style was exactly like Aoyama Gosho's.

What bothered Lari the most was the fact how much that 'character' resembled his sister. The hairstyle, lack of bodily figure, style of clothing… Heck, how many times he'd seen her to use that violet jacket that she refused to throw away?

Slowly, the teen lifted his chair back into an upright position and sat down. He inhaled deep and then let out the air that filled his lungs for a second. He stretched his fingers and began typing. Lari didn't care to brag but he was quite good with computers. Mean people would call him a hacker but personally he'd use the term 'unnoticed and uninvited visitor'.

And so the young man dove deep into the thread in DCTP concerning this Ghost Girl. He was surprised that Jade wasn't present on the conversation… Maybe she had managed to miss it by some stroke of luck…

The comments ranged a lot. Some thought it was an excellent addition to the series, some were skeptical. Some accused the Ghost Girl being a Mary Sue while the others defended her with all they had. Some were wondering was she a character made by Gosho or a fan creation. But as Lari went forward in the conversation(two years' worth of it!), he found that this 'Miss Mystery'(he hated that opening BTW) was found on the anime too. This had made the people on the forum more puzzled. Especially after Gosho denied in an interview of creating her.

"_But the plot is still the same, no? So no need to worry. I'm personally also curious to know what she'll do next. *laughs*"_ The mangaka had answered.

"We know only the scenes from Conan's point of view… I need to find what's going on behind the scenes…" Another stretch of fingers and more rabid typing. Lari was on work now. He needed to know. He really did. For years he had tried to figure out what had happened with Jade but without any leads. And now he finally had one. Albeit this would lean to more supernatural side of the world but who cared if it would get him an answer.

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><p><em>The Lone Soldier started a new topic: 'The source of Moon Files?'<em>

Links appeared as soon as he got it done.

"Thank you." Lari smirked. Thankfully Jade was still unaware of his username. He didn't want her to get to know these files.

The screen flashed and the boy found himself reading the Moon Files in Japanese. He had taken up the classes along once starting in high school and studied on his own too. Now he could quite well read the raw files online if he managed to find them.

"The files haven't reached Scarlet Series yet… Only up to Mystery Train… Interesting… New phone and identical to Jade's. Even that Totoro she bought from Paris… And K-chan's glasses still in use…" He mused, and clicked a link beneath the file in question. The computer showed yet another page. A one with password.

"Not a big deal…" Lari opened a black window and began typing his regular code he used on a simpler sites. He pressed 'Enter'. The window stayed open and the page beneath it the same.

"A tough one then? Fine…" The boy began exploring and poking around the site now. He noticed that the username, it was asking, was Yamato. "Yamato Ishikawa? Jade's OC? Sanjuu…"

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><p><em>Sanjuu<em>

And he was in. The page was full of files that no one had linked to the forum. Files centered about this 'Okiya Tsukiko'.

"_**If you've been granted an access to this site, you are either really lucky or then Hibiki. Congratulations in either case. Because it is really unlikely that you are just a random person who stumbled upon this place and managed to get in, I'll address you directly Hibiki. I know who you are even if you don't know it yet. We will be allies eventually once you come here. After watching these files I know you will. Why you wouldn't since the sister you have always known is here? – "**_

Lari had to stop reading. It was like that greeting a top of the page was directed right at him. And Jade indeed wasn't the same anymore. Not even after regaining the interest to her favorite fandom. He swallowed and continued reading.

" – _**And yes, I know exactly what you are thinking right now. Okiya Tsukiko is Jade. At least until they were separated by that transdimensional machine. Just read/watch these files and you understand more.**_

_**Ishikawa**__** Kurosawa Yamato AKA Sanjuu"**_

Gulping, Lari opened the first file. It was dated on the same day than the change in Jade had happened.

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><p>Four hours later all the files including the two movies this far were watched. Lari pushed himself away from the computer and wiped his clammy hands to his jeans before running the left one through his back-combed hair. He had the answer now. He knew where his sister – his real sister – was and that she wasn't coming back.<p>

"I need to help her…" Lari thought aloud as he got up to get some cold and fresh water to drink. His throat was dry. "To think she has gone through all that…"

_**Hibiki**_

And what was that word used on him? It sounded kind of cool and somewhat fitting but what was it actually?

Lari typed the word into a search engine.

"_Japanese whisky? I should've known…"_ The boy chuckled before packing his laptop and some other useful stuff of his into his backpack. The best course of action right now would be to find the side street Jade had always used and where the 'change' had happened.

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><p>The sky was turning burning orange when Lari arrived to the place he was looking for. Wind picked on the fallen leaves around him and made him shiver in his shirt and sleeveless hoodie. It was the beginning of October and quite chilly.<p>

The boy dug out his computer and opened the lid. The page had been left open and now it was opening yet another tab. This one was some complicated files about the dimensional travel and it working only one way.

"But I can see the timing can be altered anyways…" Lari sat down cross-legged and placed the electronic device atop of his knees. The fast-paced typing filled the silent area. No one was out anymore.

"_**This is Hibiki. I need an access to your territory."**_ Was the message he sent to Yamato.

"_**You sure? There is no turning back then."**_

"_**I know. I'm ready."**_

More files appeared, asking information such as the exact time of arrival.

"_Ten years… I need time to prepare. And I rather not face Jade – no, Tsukiko – immediately…"_

Lari pressed 'Enter' and everything went silent. More so than before. The leaves froze in mid-flight. The temperature rose a bit due the lack of wind now. It was eerie. The screen of Lari's computer began to shine. Light enfulged the teen and he was gone from the park.

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><p>At the same time another Lari found himself asleep in front of his computer. He got up, shut it down and went to sleep. All memories of Moon Files were gone now as was the worry of his sister's behavior years back. All that was left was a boy with an interest to computers, fire department and Detective Conan.<p>

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><p><strong>AN: And done. I hope you liked this introduction. This also clarifies the situation at our world. And as you can see: the people going to DC-world become blind to that afterwards.**

**And just so you know: Lari(or whatever name he'll choose) won't meet Tsukiko for a long, long time.**

**But please review and tell me if this it worth continuing. In any case I thought to give you something to read while waiting for the next chapter for Dream or Not. And not let this collect dust...**


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**A/N: And here is the second chapter as I promised. I don't really know what I should say now in the beginning other than to enjoy and review so I'll just leave you to read this. :)**

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><p><strong>The first file: New world, new life<strong>

**Sub-file two: Adjusting**

It burnt. Or was freezing cold. So cold it felt like burning… Lari wasn't sure. But it did hurt a lot and the swirl of Technicolor rainbow didn't help the matters at all.

"Jade didn't go through this… She just walked in." The boy gritted through his teeth as another wave of pain hit him. But maybe the difference came from him forcing his way through the portal(or whatever it was) from the First World and not being pulled in to the DC World. **(A/N: I mean that the command came from Lari and not from the person using the machine in DC World.)**

Suddenly the boy felt a prickling feeling in the tips of his fingers. A similar feeling than when staying in bath for a long time and your skin going all wrinkly. The feeling spread to his whole body and when looking at his hands, Lari could see them shrinking in his eyes. Or then it was the Technicolor background making tricks to his eyes.

Light in the end of tunnel. Lari could see it. He was practically flying towards it.

_**Bang**_

The sound was only in his ears and the boy hoped his eardrums weren't busted now. And that – that and the hope he was in the right place and time – were the last thoughts he had before fainting.

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><p>"…-ke up. Oi, kid, wake up!" Someone was poking Lari on the side. The boy groaned and rolled on his stomach. His whole body was still aching. He clenched and unclenched his hands experimentally. There was some grass beneath him. It was tickling his cheek. Then he blinked slowly. His laptop was lying on the ground next to his backpack.<p>

"Hey, I told you to wake up!" The same voice than from before told the boy. Lari squeezed his eyes shut and when opening them, stated:

"I'm awake." When his voice had become so high? Wait… had the shrinking really been just an illusion or…

Lari sat up quickly. So quickly that his head began feel dizzy. He grabbed his head with his both hands and tried to push the dizziness away. At that he noticed how hard it was to move, like something was weighting him down. Slowly, he lowered his arms… to see his shirt(even with rolled up sleeves) reach his wrists.

"Wha-?"

"Yeah, you have oversized clothes. Great observation, kid." The voice on his right continued. Lari looked at the person speaking. It was a young man dressed in a black cap and jacket with a green t-shirt and grey jeans. His eyes were deep green and hair was platinum blonde, reaching his mid-back and pulled on a low ponytail. Just like a teenage version of…

"Sanjuu?"

Ishikawa Yamato blinked, taken aback by the sudden recognition. Then he leant forward to examine Lari's face.

"Could it be… That you are Hibiki?" He frowned. Lari nodded.

"Though I have no idea why you call me that…" The boy reached to take his laptop. It still had open the page of Yamato's/Sanjuu's message. "You wrote this, right?"

"Yes, as soon as I was able to do basic coding. Your sister brought me here, into a world I don't exactly belong and where I have no friends she created for me… Even Renkon is missing."

"So you decided to bring me here? Because your would-be-fiancée isn't in the same world with you?" Lari scoffed.

"You came on your own. I just helped you to the beginning." Yamato retorted. "Which brings me to my next point… Why do you look like that? Weren't you supposed to be seventeen or something?"

"Apparently my arrival to this world was more complicated than I believed… I tried to come ten years earlier but it seems I was de-aged instead…"

"…What is the year your sister is in now?"

"Somewhere around 2011 I guess…"

"Well, if that's the case…" Yamato got up from his cross-legged position and brushed his hands against his jeans. "You are in the right time. More or less."

"I am?" Lari looked up from packing his laptop into his backpack.

"Yes. Ever since I came here, I've been keeping an eye on Kudou Shinichi. Discreetly of course since I'm still not out of the organization. I don't want my brother start targeting him ahead of time." The young man shrugged and stuffed his hands to his pockets. "You coming?" He nodded his head towards the city. Now Lari noted for the first time his surroundings: it was some sort of a simple grassy field outside the big centers of Tokyo.

"Ah, yeah…" The boy scrambled on his feet and tried to hurry to Yamato, succeeding only to faceplant due his now too big clothes. Yamato sighed and crouched to pick up the boy. Lari didn't protest the man's decision to carry him but it didn't make it any less humiliating.

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><p>"Say…" Lari began when he was buckled on the passenger seat of a black Toyota RAV4. "How much do you know about the… future plot? The events that'll take place in ten years?"<p>

"Not too much, since I should be considered as a canon character though I'm not. I only know the main outline of 'the story'." Yamato started up the engine. "I guess I was lucky to find you then."

"How did you find me then?" The boy frowned while hugging his backpack protectively.

"I got a message to my pager."

"A pager?" Lari repeated in amusement. Right, it was ten years earlier. Of course they wouldn't have cellphones but pagers.

"A problem, geek?" Yamato shot a glare at the boy.

"G-Geek? I'm not a geek!" The non-kid spluttered.

"Yes, you are since you managed to hack your way here."

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are."

"…Say, what were you telling me about Kudou Shinichi earlier?" Lari decided to change the topic of discussion since there was no way he'd win that argument. Instead he turned to look out of the window. Lights flashed past them in the darkened city.

"He is about to start in Teitan Elementary soon with his friend Mouri Ran. What do you think?" Yamato glanced at the boy for a second before turning his gaze back to the road.

"What to think about what?"

Yamato gave out an exaggerated sigh. "Seriously? You are honestly asking that? I'm practically screaming it in your face: what if you'd go and attend Teitan Elemantary along with those two? It'd help you establish connections and trust for your future plans."

"Sounds reasonable. But we need to prepare first a bit."

"Yeah, your hair must be dyed and I need to get you papers. Not to mention buying you a school uniform." The last sentence was said with a hint – no, a load of – glee.

"No school uniform! They aren't using those in Teitan Elementary!" Lari protested immediately.

"I know~!" Yamato laughed. He calmed down quickly though. "Have you thought about an alias yet?"

"Actually I have." Lari smirked. "I hate the name Iruka that Jade has used on me sometimes so… Just to piss her off I'm going to use the name Midorikawa Shugo."

The car swerved dangerously.

"Hey!"

"Mi-Midorikawa… Shugo?" Yamato whispered.

"He doesn't exist, does he? And I've heard that some of his personality traits were based on me." The boy shrugged. "Besides… I'm good at hacking, just like him."

"I shall refrain from commenting…"

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><p>Adjusting to the new life in Tokyo, in Yamato's cramped apartment, wasn't easy. Lari – named now Shugo – had to learn how to act more childishly and the difference in the times wasn't easy for him either. The height difference he could endure but the laggy internet connection was beyond his patience. More than once or twice he had swept everything off the table he had placed his laptop on. It didn't help the matters that Yamato couldn't stop snickering at that behavior, saying it was perfect for a brat like him.<p>

"Shut up…" Shugo growled.

"C'mon, Shuu-chan, smile." The nineteen-year-old male was holding a camera. "Or don't smile. This pic will be hilarious…"

And the boy's grumpy face was preserved into a film**(A/N: no digital cameras)**.

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><p><strong>AN: And this is done! What do you think? I bet you didn't expect this turn of event. :D**

**Replies to Reviews(I so happy I got three of them from solely the first chapter!):**

**-Shiny Sylveon:  
>I am. I hope you liked this chapter.<strong>

**-Lutias'Kokopelli:  
>Really? That's brilliant! I chose the alias for Lari by simply going to Google and searching for Japanese alcohol. And I wanted ti to be a whiskey since... well, Rye, Bourbon, Scotch... they are all whiskeys. :D<br>Well...**

**I don't know how to answer, I'm feeling scatter-brained at the moment. I thank you for you review and opinions. As you can see from this chapter, there'll be a lot of pre-chapter's before I can even start catching up with Dream or Not. Thankfully(as you pointed out) I have more freedom with this fic unlike with DoN since that one has to follow the plot and I need to be careful with that one. But here, I can play around in the background and with already established plot points. While I rather not tell anything about the plot this early in advance, you can be assured that Lari/Shuugo will meet a lot of people in the next ten chapters or so.  
>Thank you. :D<strong>

**-kujyou12:  
>Thank you. :)<strong>


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**A/N: And now... let the fun begin! *cough* I mean... Time to go to school. Have fun Shugo...**

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><p><strong>The first file: New world, new life<strong>

**Sub-file three: Teitan Elementary**

It was the fifth of April. Shugo stood by the gate and fiddled with the straps of his new school bag. He was nervous. Not because of school since he was learning some new things this time(mainly kanji and Japanese history) but of fitting in. It was completely new kids, completely new environment and completely _old era_. Anything could happen…

"Hey, aren't you going in?" A voice from his left asked, making the boy jump. Shugo glanced at the girl speaking. She was dressed in a bright red t-shirt and a light blue capri-length jeans and had black hair that barely touched her shoulders. But what most drew Shugo's attention was the horn-like part of her hair perched atop of her head.

"I… kinda…" The boy stammered, trying to find a proper way to reply.

"Come, I'll introduce you to my friends." The girl was pulling the boy already towards a group of pupils who were gathered under a sign 1-A.

"Ah, wait!" But Shugo's protest went to deaf ears.

"Ran-chan! Over here!" A girl from the group, with a bow in her brown polka-cut hair, waved to the girl pulling Shugo.

"Sonoko-chan!" The said girl waved back. The duo stopped by the group which consisted of both girls and boys. Some of them had still their schoolbags on their back but some had put them on the ground. Excited chattering was filling the air.

"Eh, who is this?" The girl named Sonoko leaned forward to take a better look on Shugo.

"This is…" Ran began but realized then that she hadn't asked the boy his name. "Umm… What's your name?" She asked sheepishly.

Shugo allowed himself to smile and extended his hand to the girl. "Midorikawa Shugo. Nice to meetcha!"

"My name is Mouri Ran. Nice to meet you too, Shugo-kun." Ran took the hand and shook it. "This is my friend Suzuki Sonoko and over there…" The girl stood tiptoe and pointed over all the heads of other kids. "…Is Kudou Shinichi. He is also my friend."

"Say, are you new around here?" Sonoko butted in. "You seem like you don't know anyone here."

"Well, I… I moved here quite recently." Shugo grinned nervously.

"It's alright. I'm sure you aren't the only one who doesn't know any people beforehand." Ran smiled brightly. "And now you already know us!"

"True…" Maybe this wouldn't be so bad…

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><p>"I take my words back…" Shugo groaned underneath the kotatsu table. Why Yamato still had it, he didn't know. Nevertheless, it was comfortable. The apartment was still quite chilly though it was already April. But it made more reason to curl up underneath the kotatsu.<p>

"_Why don't we have these in Finland?"_ Shugo thought distractedly when Yamato arrived with their take-out Chinese dinner.

"What happened then?" The man asked amusedly as he placed the plates on the table and opened the boxes.

"Kudou was being a prat…" The boy muttered but yelped then: Yamato had kicked him. "What was that for?!"

"Don't hog all the space down there."

Cursing under his breath, the now black-haired boy sat up and turned to face the food on the table.

"What did the kid do then to annoy you that badly?" Yamato asked.

"… He was acting like he knew everything going on in the class and insulted Mouri-chan."

"Insulted?"

"Well, not really. But obviously whatever he said, upset her greatly." Shugo picked the chopsticks from the table and took his plate in front of him. "Itadakimasu!"

"Itadakimasu." Yamato said too and began eating. "Do you know what was it then?"

"I guess it has something to do with addressing each other…" The sweet and sour chicken tasted quite good. "Kudo wants that they call each other by last names because 'they aren't kids anymore'…"

"But they are kids!" Yamato almost choked on his food as he began laughing.

"Exactly." Shugo sighed. "And I'm going to tell him that the next time he does it."

"By the way… We are kind of acting like siblings." Yamato noted suddenly.

"Urusa~i…"

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><p>It was the break time after a math lesson. Shugo let out a relieved sigh. After writing over and over again the same number on the work sheet, his hand was kind of tired. He had completed his paper along with Kudou but about everyone else in the class were only halfway done. Kids were so easily distracted.<p>

"Hey, do you have any idea what to play?" Ran asked Shugo as they made their way to their lockers to get their shoes.

"Hmm… _Pole ja rofe_?" The boy suggested.

"'Poree ya roufee'?" The girl tilted her head in confusion.

"Ah, sorry, I meant cops and robbers. You know… The 'cops' catching the others and leading to a 'jail' where those 'robbers' gotta stay until they are freed?" Shugo slipped his sneakers to his feet.

"Yes, I know it! I'm sure that others want to play it too!" The duo ran to the rest of their classmates. "Guys! Shugo-kun wants to play Cops and robbers! Are you in?" Ran called.

"Sure!"

"Sounds great!"

"I want in too!" The kids agreed.

"I don't want to…" Someone protested.

"No one is forcing you." Sonoko huffed. "I'm in, if Ran-chan is."

"What is that game?" Someone asked from the back to the group.

"Shugo-kun can explain." Ran smiled and pushed the boy forward as he had a habit of stepping behind others and not to take the spot light.

"Uh… I…" Shugo stammered as he was suddenly on the focus of the children. _"Damn, they are just kids. You can do this, Shugo."_

"Well?" Sonoko tapped her feet impatiently.

"Well, basically it's like Catch, only with teams. One team is the Police and the other one is the Robbers. The Police will give ten seconds for the Robbers to flee and then run after them to catch them. The jail is that tree." Shugo pointed the large tree near the edge of the school yard. "Once a police catches a robber, they'll escort them to the tree where to robber _will stay_. The robber can't resist the arrest once caught and another robber can't interrupt the escorting. Once at the jail, the robber can be freed by another robber by touching their hand. But the robbers at the jail can't form a chain to reach further and the police can't guard the jail. Everyone must stay on the move. The game ends when all the robbers are in the jail or when we get tired with our roles."

"Sounds great!" The kids who hadn't before heard of the game, cheered.

"Hey, I can get Shinichi to play too." Ran suggested suddenly.

"…I'll come with you. The rest of you can decide how to pick up the roles." Shugo nodded to the kids. "Sonoko-chan, I'll leave you in response of organizing this."

"Me?" The polka-haired girl pointed at herself in confusion when the duo ran back inside.

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><p>"Shinichi! Hey, Shinichi!" Ran called the boy with messy bangs and funny 'antenna' on the back of his head.<p>

"Geez, I told you!" The said boy huffed. "At school don't call me by the first name! It's embarrassing…"

"But Shinichi is Shinichi, right?" Ran replied cheerily.

"Call me Kudou-kun! And I'll call you Mouri-san… Besides, we're not gonna stay kids forever! So I'm counting on you Mouri-san, ok?" The mystery otaku was about to turn around when Shugo began laughing loudly.

"Kami… I can't believe this…"

"What is it, Midorikawa-kun?" Shinichi frowned.

"'Kids'? You seriously think that we aren't kids anymore?" Shugo grinned in great amusement. "Wait until you are in your teens. Maybe then you can change the way of addressing your best friend but at the moment you are just making a fool of yourself."

"A fool?"

"Yes, a fool. A great fool! You are just a kid, Kudou. A proper brat a top of that judging by your behavior. Honestly, you act all-knowing and all-annoying, embarrassing only yourself!" The two boys were facing each other, their noses only inches apart.

The silence thickened. The staring match between Shinichi and Shugo was taking everyone's attention. Even some of the kids that had been gathered outside, were there. Suddenly Shugo smirked.

"Shortie." He flicked Shinichi's forehead and straightened up, reminding the other boy that he was taller than him.

"Hey!" Shinichi protested, rubbing his forehead.

"We had planned to invite you to play with us Cops and robbers but since you turned out to be a complete jerk, I think we'll pass. Come, Ran-chan." Shugo lead the upset girl outside. "Don't pay attention on what he says."

"Ooh, Midorikawa-kun has a girlfriend!" Some boys yelled after them in glee. Ran blushed, Shinichi glared at Shugo and the boy himself… Well, he glanced at them and smirked.

"No, I'm just being a gentleman towards a lady. That requires much more guts than subtle bullying." The latter jab was directed towards Shinichi who should've realized by it that his words had hurt Ran. But he didn't. He only saw another boy leading away 'his girl'. (Though he barely even realized thinking Ran as such.)

* * *

><p>After school Shinichi cornered Shugo in the back of the schoolyard.<p>

"Stay away from Ran." The detective boy ordered.

"Why should I? She's my first friend here." Shugo stuffed his hands lazily into his jeans' pockets.

"She is my friend and you are not allowed to take her to yourself." The kid was so angry that he barely could keep it to himself.

"Allowed? To myself? That's absurd. I'm not taking her anywhere and most importantly I'm not trying to _own_ her. She has her own free will, you know, and she can decide herself with whom she wants to be."

"Something is wrong with you, Midorikawa-kun. And if that is going to endanger Ran, I'll make you pay."

"Speak for yourself." Shugo regarded the other boy coldly. "You are the trouble magnet here, not me."

That was an insult. The last thing to make Shinichi snap. The kid charged at Shugo but the other boy stepped aside easily, sticking his foot out and making Shinichi trip. The detective kid fell face first on the ground, scraping his knees and elbows in process.

"You should watch out. One day when you are heading head first to solve a mystery or whatever you are interested in… You might endanger not only yourself but also the people you care about." Shugo stated lazily and crouched next to Shinichi. "Don't misunderstand me. I'm not your enemy and I don't want to be one. I'm not even your rival. I just care too much about the people I consider as my friends. Ran-chan is one of those. And you upset her greatly today."

"…" Shinichi pushed himself off the ground and glared at Shugo who… was nowhere seen. Instead there was a packet of band-aids placed in front of him and a sticky note on the front.

"_Patch yourself up, shortie.  
>You can't let Ran-chan see you like this,<br>right?"_

Grumbling, the mystery otaku sat up and began to wipe the blood off his knees.

* * *

><p>"What happened?!" Was the first thing Kudou Yukiko asked her son when he came home. Late and with bandaged up knees and elbows.<p>

"I… fell." Shinichi mumbled.

"And you expect me to believe that? How did you fall? In the stairs? To you own feet?" Yukiko leaned closer to inspect the boy's scrapes that hadn't been covered by the Totoro band-aids. "And where did you get those, Shin-chan?"

"…Midorikawa-kun gave them to me."

"And why would he do that?"

"I don't know! I don't like him." The boy glared up at his mother who glared back with a smirk on her face.

"Midorikawa-kun, right?" Yukiko crossed her arms.

A nod.

"I heard about him from Eri. Ran-chan is very taken by him, isn't that right?" The woman stated knowingly. Reluctantly, the boy nodded. "Shin-chan is jealous~!"

"I'm not!"

"Yes, you are~. Invite him over someday. I'd like to meet him too."

"Definitely not!" Shinichi protested.

"You will." Came the stern order and all he could do, was to sigh in defeat. But that didn't stop him glaring daggers to the general direction of the brunette woman.

* * *

><p>"Your mother wants to meet me?" Shugo blinked when Shinichi told him about the predicament on the next day.<p>

"Yeah… No idea why though…" The detective kid grumbled, stubbornly looking away from the other boy.

"Well, I can come. I'm sure Yamato-niisan is fine with it too." Shugo shrugged. At that Shinichi's head perked up. Usually when children talked about getting a permission to do something, they mentioned their parents or grandparents.

"Niisan?"

"Yeah. Ishikawa Yamato-niisan. I live with him."

"Why don't you live with your parents?"

"They are busy so my sister and I live with family friends." Shugo got his books out of his schoolbag and sat down.

"You have a sister?"

"Yeah, a big sister. Her name is Hoshi. She doesn't live with us though…" The boy trailed off like he didn't really want to talk about it.

That made Shinichi shut up. He hadn't thought before that Shugo might have his own problems too. The young detective had only focused on the outer appearance and cover, not what was behind and underneath everything.

"_I need to become a better detective…"_ The boy thought. "Well, I'm waiting for you at the gate then. Don't be late Midorikawa-kun."

"…I won't." Shugo smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And here it is. I keep surprising you guys over and over again, do I not? :) About Shugo and Shinichi's height difference... it's about the same than between Conan and Mitsuhiko in the manga right now. Not like it was in the beginning when the kids' heights were all over the place.**

**And now is mentioned 'Hoshi'. That's what Shugo will use when talking about his sister. After all Tsukiko will appear in ten years of their time and will be one year younger than he at the time. Oh and one more thing! If you remember chapter 44 from Dream or Not, Tsukiko told Yamato to call her Kagemiya Hoshi. Do you remember what Yamato commented to it? "Somehow I'm not surprised." This is what he referred to. He and Shugo had been referring to he as Hoshi for a long time before Tsukiko even arrived to DC World. But she couldn't have known about it since she left to DC world before him. Don't you just love paradoxes? ;D**

**Review Replies:**

**-Yoru-KID's rival:  
>Nice to see you here too. I'm glad you like this one too.<br>Ah, I really don't know if Conan will remember anything about Shugo when they were kids. The chibi tantei has such a poor memory when it comes to personal matters...  
>Tsukiko's glasses? I think... I dunno. I need to think about this one...<br>Ah, yes. I read the fic and it's brilliant! I can't wait to read the next chapter too. :)**


	4. File1: Subfile4

**A/N: Okay, this is quite a long chapter... So it took me quite a while to write this one up. I hope you like this one anyways. I'll write more on the end of this chapter so I won't spoil anything.**

* * *

><p><strong>The first file: New world, new life<br>Sub-file four: Kudous and the Mystery in Moonlight**

During the next month Shugo spent his time getting acquintanted with both the Mouris and Kudous. Both families were nice. Eri and Kogoro were a bit arguing but truly loving couple and the chemistry between Yukiko and Yusaku was something amazing. Shugo loved it with them. He may not be able to see his own family ever again(except for Jade – sorry, Tsukiko) but he could always find new parent figures from this world.

"Shin-chan, Shuu-chan! The dinner is ready!" Yukiko called from the kitchen. The said boys looked up from their books, the Night Baron series, and grinned. Finally, they were getting hungry already.

"Yuu-chan, you too!" As Kudou Yusaku's study was the library, he was also there with the boys, trying to complete his latest work. It was about a murder in a train or something, like the Poirot mystery: Murder on the Orient Express.

"Coming, dear!" Yusaku called back. "Alright, boys… Go wash your hands and then go to eat. Yukiko is waiting."

"Hai!" Shugo and Shinichi got on their feet(as they'd been lying on their stomachs on the floor while reading) and hurried out of the big room of secrets. Shugo stopped by the door though and casted one last glance on the bookshelves before following the house owner's boy.

* * *

><p>The food was good. Brilliant actually. Shinichi told Shugo how Eri couldn't cook at all. The other boy found it a bit hard to believe at but when he remembered the interactions in manga and anime, he agreed silently though he stated he hadn't tasted it while staying with the Mouris.<p>

"Good, saved your tastebuds." The young detective kid nodded.

"Shin-chan, don't be mean." Yukiko berated her son. "Eri tries her best."

"She doesn't even realize herself that it tastes horrible!"

"Yukiko… You have to admit that it's true." Yusaku agreed.

"So…" Shugo popped a piece of chicken to his mouth. "Does that mean that Eri-obasan doesn't have tastebuds?" He asked with an innocent tilt of his head. He was becoming quite good at the childish behavior.

Yukiko stopped, considering the question and how she should answer to it. After all Eri was a dear friend of hers but at the same time she couldn't deny the facts. Meanwhile the three males on the table looked at her expectantly, waiting for the answer.

"Well… She does know when food is actually good and can appreciate good food…" The brunette began slowly. "I suppose she's just blind to her own cooking skills. So she does have tastebuds. They just don't work when she's cooking."

"Oh, I see." Shugo grinned. "Good that Yukiko-obasan has working tastebuds then. This food is great!"

"Thank you, Shuu-chan!" The woman beamed at the boy until she realized what she'd been just called. "But you know… It's not nice to call young ladies 'oba-sans'."

"It's not?" The boy asked in feigned confusion. "But you are an adult, right? Aren't adults called 'oba-sans' and 'oji-sans'?"

The wide innocent eyes made Yukiko speechless. While she didn't like – scratch that, she hated – being called 'oba-san', she couldn't fight the boy's logic. Thankfully Yusaku came to her rescue.

"Shugo-kun, you call Ishikawa-san 'nii-san', right?" The author asked while taking more food on his plate.

"Yeah!" Shugo nodded.

"He is an adult too, isn't he?"

"He is…" The boy admitted reluctantly.

"Why don't you call him 'oji-san' then?" The man questioned.

"Because he is so young! No… Not that Yukiko…-san isn't young, too." Shugo stammered to add when he sensed a murderous intent coming from his right. "But Yamato-niisan is a lot younger. He isn't even twenty."

"Is twenty-seven that old then?" Yukiko asked sadly. Damn, she was making a counterattack now. Shugo couldn't afford making her feel bad.

"No… It is also very young… My sister had an art teacher that every year when asked, said that her age was twenty-six… She said that after twenty-six, women stop getting any older. So you are very young, Yukiko-san." Shugo explained, waving his arms around and…

"A ha ha ha ha!" Shinichi bursted out laughing at the other side of the table. "You are funny, Midorikawa-kun."

"I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"No. I. Am. Not."

"Enough, boys. Eat your lunch." Yusaku interrupted the two before the argument – pointless but nevertheless amusing argument – could escalate.

"Hai!" The duo chorused and dug into their food on the plates. Yukiko and Yusaku exchanged smiles at their behavior before continuing eating too. And thus the matter was dropped.

* * *

><p>"A ghost?" Shugo repeated with interest and looked up from his bentolunch. Ran nodded as an affirmation.<p>

"Yes. Sonoko-chan heard about it from a guy who delivers new books to the library." The girl explained. "The ghost appears only during full moon and makes creepy noise while wearing a weird hat."

"I see… So the ghost is scary?" The boy grinned.

"Yes!" Came the immediate reply before Ran continued with quieter voice. "… I guess it is. It's a ghost after all."

"We could investigate it you know. It's full moon today."

"W-We?"

"Yeah. At least I'm going. You don't need to if you are scared." The boy grinned before continuing to eat.

* * *

><p>When the night fell and moon began to shine, Shugo made his way back to the Teitan Elementary. He waited by the gate for half an hour before the voices of Shinichi and Ran floated to his hearing range.<p>

"So… You brought Kudou along too?" The boy asked Ran.

"Yeah." The girl nodded.

"And you decided to come anyways despite being afraid of ghosts?"

"Yes…" This time the answer was much quieter and less confident. Shugo sighed.

"Okay. This is your decision and you are the one that informed us about this. I can't really send you away either… Especially in the middle of night…"

"Yeah, that'd be dangerous." Shinichi nodded. "Let's get in."

The trio proceeded trying to open the windows until Shinichi opened one he'd left open by the end of school day. The kids took off their shoes and climbed through the window.

"All right, let's go to the library!" Shinichi told the other two and headed already towards the library.

"Hold on." Ran was still half-way outside.

"Wait a second, Kudou." Shugo muttered whilst helping the girl. In a while they were by the library though and saw a shadow approaching the door from inside!

"In the library…" Shinichi froze.

"Someone's in there!" Ran gasped.

"Hide, quickly!" Shugo hissed and pulled the duo behind a corner. He almost rolled his eyes at them but remembered then that they were just seven. And children had a wild imagination.

"Phew, I was so scared!" Ran whispered once the kids saw it was just a security guy. The trio sneaked behind the man's back to the sanctuary of books as it was doubtful he would come that soon there again…

* * *

><p>The library was dark and silent. The three first grades looked around with curiousity(Shin+Shu) and fear(Ran).<p>

"G-Gh…Gho…" The only girl in their company froze completely. Shugo glanced at her and the shadow on the floor.

"What is it, Ran-chan?" The de-aged teen asked gently. He knew that Ran was sensitive and Shinichi's 'stupid' remarks didn't help at all.

"There's a ghost wearing a hat looking through the window! Shinichi!" The girl hid behind the detective kid. Shugo was slightly hurt at the action since he had been closer but understood it nevertheless. After all the two had known since forever and had crushes on each other… Not that neither of them realized it.

"Stupid! Look closely!" Oh, the brat was blushing. "The curtain's come off the hook, and it just looks like a person wearing a hat. The reason it only appears on fullmoon is because it needs plenty of moonlight for the shadow to appear this clearly. And this laughing sound is the wind coming through the gap in the window. That's pretty much all there is to ghost stories… As long as you can find a logical explanation…" He was really blushing.

"Say, Ran-chan… Where did Sonoko-chan hear about this ghost? I doubt she has come here in the middle of night…" Shugo asked suddenly when Shinichi was already heading for the door, muttering about waste of time.

"Ah, it was the man who brings new books here. He told Sonoko-chan about it." The future Karate champion answered.

"I see…"

"Guys, let's go home! There's nothing here…" Shinichi called. Shugo was about to retort but…

"Is that really so?" A man's voice asked behind the three kids. "All you did was read the beginning of the novel's summary and you're acting like you've seen through everything…" There was a man sitting on top of one of the bookshelves, reading a book.

"This world is a lot more deep and full of mysteries…" The book was closed and the mysterious man jumped down from the shelf. Shinichi stepped forward in a protective gesture over Ran. Shugo in the other hand crossed his arms, observing everything attentively.

"WHAT?! Who are you?" The detective kid demanded.

"Me?" The man chuckled, while placing the book on the nearby table. "I'm your sibling… Well, I guess I should say, your younger brother…"

"His younger brother?" Shugo questioned with an arched eyebrow. Kami-sama, the man must've wondered who he was since Shinichi and Ran were near panic while Shugo himself was as calm as one could be.

"Yeah…" The man nodded. "Although pretty far in age." Okay, apparently that statement creeped the other two out of their mind.

"Ran! Bring the security guy here! Hurry!" Shinichi yelled.

"OK!" Ran went to the door and tried to open it. Naturally it didn't budge. Shugo went to help her, just casting a fleeting glance on the broom blocking it but then trying the door too.

"It won't open, Kudou."

"What?!"

"It's no use. My spell has been cast on that door. It only listens to me…" Way to freak out kids… But then you probably needed them not to think straight so they'd just go to Kudou Yusaku with the riddle thus delivering the message of '?'. "Anyways, I actually didn't come here to fight with you. I came here to challenge you…"

"Challenge Kudou?" Shugo repeated, his head perking up in interest.

"To see if you can find the treasure in here…" The wallet made of oxhide was offered.

"T-Treasure?" Shinichi stuttered.

"If you can find it, you win… I'll give you the treasure and I'll tell you who I am. Now whether you accept this or not is up to you, but if you accept I'll undo the spell on the door, and you'll be able to escape from here and return to your nice warm bed at home…" It was indeed quite chilly in there… Kotatsu table would be so nice… "If you don't accept, you'll have to spend the rest of your life in this dark and cold room that makes your blood freeze…"

Shugo shivered. This was creepy. And while he wasn't as easily spooked as Jade/Tsukiko – or Ran – this whole situation was slowly getting on his nerves.

"By the way, I love blood and I love red things…" And taking a knife out while speaking like that makes you look like child killer!

"I'm not…" Ran began. "I'm not scared of that at all! We're not gonna listen to anything that a bad guy like you say!" Brave, brave Ran-chan… Shugo smiled faintly at her outburst.

"I'll accept…" Shinichi said quietly, surprising both Ran and Shugo. The boy hadn't remembered that the other had accepted the challenge this easily. Although Shinichi _was_ still a child. A real child.

"Huh… Now that's Kudou Shinichi, my older brother…" The wallet was flipped in the air and the man aimed the knife. The sharp blade flew through the air, puncturing the wallet and sticking itself on the door. It had flown right between Ran and Shinichi. The attention of all three kids went to the knife.

"Why you! What're you trying to…" Shinichi turned back to yell at the man… who was gone. When Shinichi went to pull the knife out of the door, Shugo looked around the library in the case the man still was there. He couldn't see any glimpse of him though…

"_As expected from Kaitou Kid Senior…" _The boy smirked.

"Hey, Shinichi… Are you really gonna accept it?" Ran was asking nervously.

"Yeah… My dad always said not to run away from a fight!" The son of a mystery author stated.

"But the oji-san just now… He was creepy like a demon…"

"You got that right, Ran-chan." Shugo admitted, finally turning to face the duo. "That man definitely was scary."

"Whether the devil or a demon, I could care less! I just wanna find out who he is." Shinichi announced when pulling out the clue paper from the wallet. "Along with the answer to this code!"

"Is that so?" The kinda-shrunken kid next to the chibi detective asked skeptically.

"Yes. I want to find out that guy's identity by answering this code he made!"

"But, but! If that person does more strange magic, you might die, Shinichi!" Ran told the arrogant boy.

"Magic?" Shinichi frowned.

"Look! Just now he cast a spell that closed that door that was open before!"

"Ba~ka! Look real closely!" The kid scoffed. "There's a mop leaning across the door, right? Tie a string around the mop's handle, hang that thread from a hook over the top… When we entered library, he pulled the string, causing the mop to run across the door and close it! From where he first was… on top of the bookshelf!" And the boy had all his confidence back. Shugo sighed. Kudou was going to be _soo_ annoying now…

"He said a lot of annoying things to scare us, but he's just a magician! A blundering magic user who forgot to hide how his trick was done!"

One eyebrow quirked up as Shugo listened the other boy boasting. Really? Shinichi didn't even consider that the mop was left in place on purpose?

_Clap! Clap! Clap. Clap…_

The duo turned to watch Shugo who was clapping slowly.

"Well done Kudou… Your observation skills and level of arrogance are just astounding! Tell me, are all detectives this self-centered?"

"What do you mean?" Shinichi growled.

"Nothing, nothing… you just should sometime look from the point of view of other people too instead of staring at your own navel because… surprise! The world doesn't revolve around you!" Shugo threw his hands up and walked past the kids. "I'm going to take my leave since the challenge was obviously for you and the case with the ghost is now solved. That's why I came here originally."

"Eh? Aren't you going to find out who that man is then?" Ran asked.

"Nope. At least not like _Shin-chan_…" The said boy's eye twitched. Shugo paid no heed and picked up the knife from the floor and examined it. It was a nice looking knife indeed. "I'm not going to play by the rules in this little detective game of yours… I'll trust you to get Ran-chan safely home, okay?"

And with a cheery wave of the ornate knife, the shrunken computer geek slinked out of the door. He had a magician under the moonlight to find.

* * *

><p>Shugo was by the desk doing some coding when the housephone rang. Seriously, where were all the cell phones? The boy sighed. It would still take a few years… He couldn't even use his own phone since it would cause questions.<p>

In any case Yamato went to answer it.

"Ishikawa speaking… Eri-san?" The blonde man blinked in surprise. "Yes, Shugo just came home… I asked him, yes… I take it that Ran-chan came safely home too… Well, isn't that the main point? …Listen, Eri-san. Just call Yukiko-san, I'm sure Shinichi-kun had some effect on this too. Shugo _says_ that it was Ran-chan who told about a ghost at the school library and the three went to investigate it. Why it took so long, he didn't say since the ghost was just a broken curtain… Yes, I'll talk with her tomorrow then. Good night, Eri-san." The receiver was placed on the cradle. Yamato stood still for a moment, contemplating what he should say while Shugo continued his typing without slowing down. Finally the young man turned around and leaned against the kitchen wall.

"So?" Shugo glanced up. "What did she say?"

"Nothing special. Inquired about your whereabouts since Ran-chan said she'd been with both you and Shinichi-kun…" The green-eyed man trailed off and scratched absent-mindedly the back of his head. "You know, if you three were ten years older, it'd be worried what two boys and a girl were doing at school after lessons but since you are kids…"

"I'm not a kid, but I understand what you are getting at."

"Good. Then we don't need to have this awkward conversation. What are you doing anyways?"

"I'm making some basic coding known in my time and my world. I'm also looking information about one Kuroba Toichi-san."

"Kuroba… Toichi?"

"Yes. That's right." Shugo nodded. "Problem?"

"No, not at all… I was just wondering what he has to do with anything." Yamato frowned. The boy opposite him glanced at him briefly before smiling smugly.

"You'll see when it's the time."

* * *

><p>It was the next day. Shugo was on his way to the Kudou house. There he was greeted by the sight of Eri Kisaki talking to Yukiko Kudou at the front door of the Kudou house and being… quite flustered.<p>

"What? He took Ran with him again?!" The young defense attorney shouted. "Your son did?"

"Yeah…" Yukiko nodded. "She came this morning, and both of them went out in the car with Agasa-san from next door… I think they said something about going to Haido port…"

"Ha-Haido port? There was a murder there last night…"

"Oh, I don't think it's much of problem." Yusaku stepped into the doorway. "I heard the murder was solved this morning. Plus it's holiday after all… Rather than be cooped up in the house all day engrossed in watching TV or playing games, it sounds much better to go beyond the doors, and to go on an adventure out of curiosity. These days my son has been doing nothing but read book, so we really should be grateful to your daughter for taking him out of the house!"

"Uh, wasn't your son the one who took her?" Eri argued. It was when Shugo decided to step on the yard.

"Heeeh? Ran-chan and Shin-chan already left?" He asked innocently, his eyes wide.

"Shuu-chan?" Yukiko noticed the boy. "Yes, they left a while ago. Were you supposed to go with them?"

"Well… not really." The boy shuffled his feet. "I didn't really know about their plans but guessed they'd leave today at some point to solve that riddle…"

"A riddle? Shinichi had one written on a card yesterday." Yusaku mused.

"Yeah… We got it from the library…" Shugo wasn't exactly sure how much he could say. In a way the meeting in the library was supposed to be a secret because Shinichi was so damn proud and stubborn.

"The library? Shin-chan said it was from your teacher." Yukiko frowned. The boy opened his mouth and closed it. Cue a perfect expression of he had said something he shouldn't have.

"Oh…"

"Shugo-kun, did something happen at the library?" Eri was quick to start interrogating him. Talk about the lawyer at work, the Queen of Courtroom was about to be born soon.

"Well… Shin-chan was challenged to solve a riddle by the ghost of the library… I wasn't interested at first but today I… changed my mind."

"A ghost of the library? But that was just a broken curtain!"

"Yes, it was originally. But there was another ghost. A magician who introduced himself as Shin-chan's younger brother even though he looked like an adult!"

"Younger brother?" Yusaku repeated quietly before an enigmatic smile spread on his face.

"That's what he said…"

"I see. I'm sure they are going to be fine then. Agasa-san is with them after all."

"You know who this is about?" Eri glared at the author.

"I have a hunch…"

"_Liar…"_ Shugo thought.

"Well, in any case I had another matter to come here today too." The bespectacled female said. "I got a 'thank you' call from the police headquarters for Yusaku-san. 'Thank you for you cooperation! Thanks to you, we were able to protect the jewelry.' That's what they wanted me to tell you…"

"Oh, that…" Yukiko smiled as she looked up at her husband. "The case where Yusaku chased away the mysterious thief!"

"No no, I suppose it would be more correct to say the thief cleverly managed to escape…" The man chuckled. Shugo's mouth opened again. Mysterious thief! they were talking about Kaitou Kid the First!

"But why did they call your house?"

"Apparently they called many times yesterday evening, but the line was disconnected…"

"Hmmm. I wonder why it was so…" Shugo grinned and looked meaningfully the one Yusaku Kudou who began sweating under the glare of his wife and stuttering an explanation.

"Anyway…" Eri began making her leave. "If those kids call you, tell my daughter to come home right away."

"Eh? You're going home? At least stay and have a cup of tea or something…" Yukiko protested.

"I can't be relaxing now! My first trial is next week, so I have lots of arrangements and preparations to make…"

"That's right, you're a beginning lawyer! Good luck!"

"Good luck, Eri-obasan! I'm sure you'll do a brilliant job, like a Queen of the Courtroom!" Shugo reassured the woman too.

"Thank you." Eri smiled brightly. "But if I do get beaten really bad, I can leave it up to you to cheer me up then…"

"Sure thing, Eri-obasan!" The boy grinned.

"Come to think of it, weren't you supposed to meet with someone?" Yusaku noted to his wife when the rookie attorney left. "You know, with that magician. The one you used to be pupil under, to receive help on role-making."

"Aah, I completely forgot! That's right, I made plans for a meeting, to write an essay!" Yukiko gasped. "If you're free, wanna come too, Yuu-chan? Since you're finished with the manuscript…"

"You apprenticed under a magician?" Shugo interrupted. "Why did you do that, Yukiko-obasan?"

"Well… I had a role of a spy for one of my movies and needed help with building the character. My mentor really helped me with the art of disguise." The former actress told the boy. "And haven't I told you not to call me 'Oba-san'?" Oh, the pulsing vein appeared again.

"But Yukiko-obasan hasn't explained why." Shugo smiled innocently. "Besides art of disguise sounds so cool! Can you tell me more?"

"Sure. It's a bit of time until I need to leave after all." The trio went inside of the house. That day Shugo learnt in detail about Yukiko's disguise ability and her friendship with American actress Sharon Vineyard.

"We apprenticed together and that's how we got to know each other. Though, Sharon was much more talented than I." The woman explained.

"So who was this magician then?"

"Kuroba Toichi-san, he is quite famous nowadays. He was already famous back then but even more so now." Cue a fangirling moment. Shugo sweatdropped. Apparently Yukiko would always be a fangirl of handsome and cool men. Kuroba Toichi, Akai Shuichi…

"I see. He sounds like a cool guy then." The boy sipped the apple juice from a glass he had been handed.

"Now, when I told you a lot, why don't you tell me more about this escapade of yours, Shin-chan's and Ran-chan's?" It was that aura! The same dangerous aura Yukiko had behind her whenever someone called her 'Oba-san'! It was now behind her again. Shugo gulped. So this was the game she was playing…

"But I don't really know…"

"Really now, Shuu-chan… You stated clearly that there was a 'ghost' other than the curtain… One who challenged Shin-chan and gave him the riddle, right?"

"Y-Yeah… I guess they are solving the riddle right now… Shin-chan is too stubborn to ask help you know…"

"Hmm, he did make up an excuse for the note." Yukiko mused and got up from the sofa of the Kudou library. Shugo remained sitting and just followed her with his eyes. "Well, I must go and prepare myself for my meeting… Which reminds me… Would you like to accompany me? Yuu-chan refused so I thought…"

"Yukiko-obasan would really take me to meet him? Kuroba Toichi-san?"

"Yes!" Apparently the woman didn't feel like correcting the boy anymore. Point to Shugo!

* * *

><p>It was late evening when Shugo and Yukiko met Kuroba Toichi. The males were introduced to each other and Shugo expressed his interest in magic. He didn't even need to lie. Both he – as Lari – and Jade had enjoyed watching Cirque du Soleil from television back home and even in this world Shugo and researched magic shows. Who knew… maybe there was even Troupe Gramaye somewhere in this world… In America though… No wait! There <em>was <em>The Hopper Magician Troupe in this world! The boy would definitely check it out in due time.

"Achoo!" Toichi sneezed suddenly in the middle of the interview.

"Oh, is it a cold?" Yukiko asked concernedly and stopped note-taking.

"No, just someone spreading a cheap rumor probably… After all, we magicians are con artists who play around behind people's backs…"

"Oh come on, a con artist?" The actress laughed.

"But it's such a shame that Mr. Kudou couldn't make it…" The famous magician mused before beginning to state his opinion again. "Well… I guess it's more correct to say I'm relieved. My techniques are nothing more than a house built on sand in front of him… I feel as if he'll see through them in an instant."

"But Kuroba-san, Yusaku-ojisan is an exception, right? Normal people don't do that. And even when Yusaku-ojisan figures something out, he doesn't go around boasting around. Right, Yukiko-obasan?" Shugo looked up at the woman sitting next to him.

"Well, Yusaku does have more modesty and tact than… say…" Yukiko trailed off in thought.

"Shin-chan. He has an arrogant streak in him."

"And who is this… 'Shin-chan'?" Toichi asked with interest.

"Kudou Shinichi. Yukiko-obasan's son and my classmate. I usually call him just 'Kudou' but sometimes… especially when I'm annoyed with him, I call him 'Shin-chan'." Shugo replied with a full childlike seriousness. He was becoming quite good with his act but he couldn't wait until his body grew up more and he could stop pretending. But he surely wouldn't stop calling people by childish nicknames… He'd definitely pick some more.

"Is that so? What has he done then so annoy you this time?" The magician chuckled. Shugo glanced at Yukiko to ask permission.

"Go ahead, Shuu-chan. It's not like I know all the facts either." The woman smiled and took a sip from her drink.

"'kay!" The boy grinned. "You see, Kuroba-san… Shin-chan, our friend Ran-chan and I were in the school's library last night and encountered a ghost. Stuff happened and the ghost challenged Shin-chan in a battle of wits. He got us three pretty scared by locking the door to the library…" Shugo trailed off for a second. It was weird accounting events to someone who was there like they weren't. "In any case the ghost eventually left, undoing the trick on the door. When we discussed abou the situation, Ran-chan got nervous about the door being locked again so Shin-chan explained how it had been done. And then he said – and I'll quote him exactly – _'He said a lot of annoying things to scare us, but he's just a magician! A blundering magic user who forgot to hide how his trick was done!'_ That pissed me off and I left then…"

"That was pretty rude indeed." Toichi thought aloud.

"And arrogant. I don't like arrogant people…" Shugo muttered with a childish pout.

"Well, Shin-chan is still just a child. He will learn eventually to tone it down." Yukiko smiled. "But in the other hand you, Kuroba Toichi-san… You don't need to be so modest. After all you are one of 'The Seven Knights I have met'.

"Those essays, I take a look at them every time… My wife happens to be a fan of it, so…"And thus the conversation turned back on its right tracks for a few seconds before.

_Puff_

A rose appeared right in front of Yukiko.

"You can have this!" A messy haired boy was offering the rose to the actress. "'cause Oba-san, you're really pretty!"

"Oi, Kaito…" Toichi lifted the boy down from his lap where he had climbed on just a moment ago.

"My, what an energetic child!" Yukiko giggled. "But you know what? Do you know you're not supposed to use 'Oba-san' and 'pretty' together?" The dark aura flashed again but not so badly than usually. Maybe because she had already given up on correcting Shugo about the matter and Kaito was a new child. In any case…

"Besides I'm the only one allowed to call Yukiko-obasan, 'Oba-san'." Shugo chirped in cheerfully. "If I were you, I'd dread carefully around her, **Kaito the Kid**."

At the latter statement the reactions of the occupants of the table varied a lot. Toichi Kuroba blinked and almost an unnoticeable frown appeared on his face. He obvious caught the hidden meaning and when Shugo met the magician's eyes for a second and smirked, those thoughts were confirmed. Yukiko was just puzzled why Shugo suddenly spoke in English and Kaito… well, he didn't understand anything else but his name.

"Eh?" The magician's son just uttered with confused tilt of his head. Shugo just grinned with his finger in front of his lips.

"Shh… It's a secret. And secrets are what make the life interesting, no?"

"I guess." Kaito shrugged and went on his way. With a little prompting from Yukiko, Shugo went after him and left the adults converse with each other.

* * *

><p>The boys discussed all sorts of things. Future, magic, school, family… The time went on quite quickly. Then was the time to leave. Toichi came to pick up Kaito but right before they left, he gave his business card to Shugo, 'to discuss about secrets'. The boy just grinned at that told the man not to worry. He didn't even answer to Yukiko's enquires about the matter, just smiled. The actress interpreted it as a joy of receiving the phone number of one's idol.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And done. There's some things I just couldn't resists... Like Shugo calling Shinichi 'Shin-chan'. And getting away from calling Yukiko 'Yukiko-obasan'... Naturally, eh will grow out of some of those in due time... but not for a while. He does things to annoy people after all. :)**

**As you can guess from this chapter, I've been watching Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney game walkthroughs in YouTube. Shugo is a fan of those games I decided. Tsukiko isn't. She knows them but hasn't gotten into the 'fandom'. Troupe Gramaye for example is a reference to AA series. More references might come in future.**

**Oh, by the way... The relation between Shugo and Shinichi will always remain a bit... I don't know if explosive is the right word for it but Shinichi's arrogance will always rub Shugo tot he wrong way. And with Shinichi thinking that Shugo might attempt stealing Ran away... Well... I guess one could compare it to the relationship between Kaito and Saguru. With less flirting though.**

**Replies to Reviews:**

**-BallerinaGin4Evr:  
>I'm glad you liked. Shugo is good at nicknames. ;)<strong>

**-Kitty Katrona:  
>Thank you very much! :D<strong>

**-Lutias'Kokopelli:  
>Thank you. I've found that making plot twist in a way that readers don't anticipate it, is quite hard. But it's fun! Especially when I see how the readers react to those.<strong>


	5. File1: Subfile5

**A/N: I'm so happy with this chapter. I even managed to establish one of the biggest plotholes in Dream or Not. And that's Tsukiko's papers! but now that's fixed too. And other thing I loved in this one was that I finally wrote up Yamato's backstory I created about five years ago. The details are still the same. :)**

* * *

><p><strong>The First file: New world, new life<br>****Sub-file five: Secrets of one**

They fell into a routine. Shugo and Yamato. Every morning the two would wake up and Yamato would make them breakfast. After eating Shugo would do the dishes and then leave for school. A bit later Yamato would leave too for his work. Usually it was some business in a courier office but sometimes he was called to an operation for the Organization. After school Shugo either spent time with Ran and Shinichi (+ Sonoko) or then went home to do some research. The research meaning hacking for information. Sometime before midnight Yamato would usually return and they'd eat together then the food Shugo had done, discussing about the days events.

"What have you been doing lately?" Yamato asked one Thursday night. Since summer holiday had started and Shugo had already done his summer homework(in one day), the boy had taken to spend more time on his computer and write… something.

"Hmm?" Shugo blinked. "How so?"

"Well, ever since the holidays began, you've barely spent any time with Ran-chan or Shinichi-kun. Of course I'm curious to know what' you've been doing instead of that," Yamato shrugged and continued eating. Shugo stayed quiet for a few moments, uncertain whether or not he should answer.

"I… I've been preparing for the future. Establishing both my and Tsukiko's identities… Since she isn't here yet, no one will notice. And because the technology and the security of the databases is so… archaic, this is a piece of cake."

"I can see the sense in that. So what have you planned as your backstory then? As you probably have already guessed, eventually you and Tsukiko will cross paths and some sort of connection will be made."

"... I don't know if I should tell you. After all you are still in the organization and who knows what they'll do to get information."

"C'mon, I won't tell. Besides… As your guardian, I'm supposed to know your past, And your sister's past."

Shugo sighed. "Alright." The boy put down his rice bowl and walked to pick up his computer. "The basic situation is this: There're siblings Midorikawa Shugo and Hoshi. Shugo is at the moment seven years old, enrolled at Teitan Elementary and living with a family friend Ishikawa Yamato who's also the boy's temporary guardian. A year younger Hoshi in the other hand is at the moment with other family friends, the Okiya's, who have nineteen-year-old son Subaru. The Okiya's travel a lot aboard due their work so that's why there's not much records of them in Japan. At the moment they are in the States."

"I can see the sense in that. Why are Shugo and Hoshi not with their parents then?" Yamato frowned. Pointing out loopholes was important in order to close them and create a solid story.

"The Midorikawa couple, that is working for the same company than the Okiya's, have a job assignment in Russia at the moment but due the delicate atmospere there after the fall of Soviet Union, they didn't want to take their children with them. Because Hoshi is so young, the Okiya's have her and Shugo is with you, because… well… It was a request on both of your parts. On top of that, I've managed to cover some of the money you receive from the Organization as a fee you get from the Midorikawa's to cover the expenses Shugo causes you. After all your job at the courier office doesn't really pay you much." Shugo concluded with a deadpan voice. Yamato chuckled and took a glance on all the documents on the computer.

"You've really done some thorough work. I'm guessing that you're going to use this information somehow in Tsukiko's timeline too." The young man remarked.

"Yes… In ten years one man needs to take the stage as Okiya Subaru and I already know that Tsukiko will pose later as his sister… It's just better that the necessary documents are already done. In due time I'll also make a police report of the Midorikawa couple getting in an accident when coming back from Narita airport and dying so it gives the Okiya's a reason to adopt Hoshi and change her name to Tsukiko. It will only make sense to everyone." Shugo smirked. "But now… You've heard my story. I'd like to hear yours. I don't know much about the character's Tsukiko created back home as Jade so I have to admit I'm immensely curious." The boy leaned his elbows on the table and looked the green-eyed man opposite him in the eye. Yamato fidgeted a moment on his seat, obviously wanting to do anything else but discuss about his past… But under Shugo's intense gaze, he eventually gave up.

"Fine… but this is the only time I'll tell you this. I rather not remember that time anymore…" The platinum blonde sighed and began his tale.

* * *

><p>"We were a happy family. Japanese father and British mother. Kurosawa Hideki and Alice, or Arisa as she was known after marriage. Then there were Jin and I. Our age difference is about five to six years. We both inherited blond hair from our mother while the eye color came from our father. We were a truly happy family. We had money and we lived in a good neighbourhood. Our father had an imported car from Germany. Jin drives it now…<p>

"I don't know what the exact circumstances were but one day when Jin and I came home, our parents were lying on the floor of the living room and two figures were going through the drawers of our father's study that was just a door away from there. The two figures were calling each other Cordita and Dubonnet. I still remember what they looked like. Dubonnet was a fat man in black suit and hat with a thick moustache and a heavy Hokkaido accent. Cordita in the other hand had curly red-dyed hair cut right above her shoulders… She was from somewhere around Kansai area…

"In any case, Jin took me to our room and we hurriedly packed some clothes and other useful stuff. We had no relatives and we didn't dare to endanger any of our friends… Our backpacks were thrown on the back seat of our father's car as soon as we were done and Jin went to get his father's gun that was in the safe of the master bedroom. We both knew the code and knew how to use that gun, a Beretta, but were told not to use it unless in dire need. In hindsight, father probably knew something like that would happen eventually…

"We took two of the gasoline canisters from the garage into the car and I opened the door. Later I went to find Jin. He was taking too long and he had taken the third canister with him. I found him pouring the gasoline around living room and as close to the study as possible. But suddenly Dubonnet found us. He came to the doorway separating the study and the living room and tried to fire at us. Jin fired back and lit a match. In no time the whole room was in fire. I was only nine or ten at the time while Jin was around fifteen. I barely realized what had been going on. I barely knew that our loving parents were dead for good. But Jin knew. He cracked that day. He cracked in a way that I could never put him together again…

"So we escaped. Jin took the wheel and drove away. Aimlessly as far as he could. I think we made it to Gunma or something when it was already dark outside…" Yamato trailed off, far-away look in his eyes.

"But you were found, weren't you?" Shugo frowned.

"Oh yes. We were hiding for a week or so until the Organization apprehended us under the guise of policemen. But by the time we realized, we'd been tricked, I had a gun muzzle against my head and Jin had no other choice but to obey.

"And thus we were taken in, separated, forced to train and obey. It was quite effective. We knew nothing about each other and there was always that threat hanging that if we did something wrong, the other would suffer for it. I heard later also that Jin killed Dubonnet in that fire and was after Cordita's life. He didn't care if the Organization was wrong and behind the death of our parents. He only cared about getting the actual murderers six feet under…

"During our time at the Organization I managed to make a few friends. Nowadays I'm not in contact with them anymore but back then we were almost inseparable due the fact there was no one else for us at the time… Akemi-chan did have her parents but they were about all the time in their laboratory. She was only six at the time we met. Then there was Rei who was my age. He was allowed to go to normal school while I was kept in a tighter leash. The organization knew I would rebel any given chance but I was too important for them to kill. They needed me to ensure that Jin obeyed them. Not that he would've actually gone against them…" Yamato chuckled. "The bastard was only interested in Cordita's life back then. Nothing else. And even after nine years, she is still alive. I guess it's up to me to get rid of that bitch then…"

"..." Shugo didn't say anything. He let the man continue his story. It was clear Yamato had never talked about thing with anyone.

"Three years ago Jin cracked totally. The little I had met and seen about him prior that was nowhere near to help him heal. I only pushed the deaths of our parents behind me and concentrated on staying alive for their sakes and trying to help Jin. He was all I had left… While he just climbed ranks and eventually tried to massacre a group of codenamed members including Cordita. He failed but instead of killing him, I heard both Anokata and Rum thought the ruthlessness he had was an advantage. He was forgiven and isolated. When I met him again, there was nothing of Jin-nii left anymore. Only Gin, the newest codenamed member of the Organization. He got a babysitter at that time too, some guy called Vodka, to ensure he won't pull a stunt like that again. By some miracle that dumbass is still alive…" Yamato took a cigarette and lit it.

"My training continued and I began drifting away from my friends. I don't know what's going on with them other than that Akemi-chan has a little sister Shiho… and Rei became a Junior Champion in tennis when he was in middle school… Otherwise not really. Lately I've only thrived to become better and better, kill Cordita and then get the hell out of the Organization. Since I'm one the low-ranked members, it shouldn't be a problem especially now when Jin has reputation and loyalty to the Organization. He has no intention to leave anymore."

"That's one messed up situation then." Shugo mused. "I'm guessing that you're going to take the first chance you can to get out then?"

"Yes. But not until Cordita is dead. After that we both are out of Tokyo. Is that clear?"

"Yes, yes… But are you sure you can just walk away?"

"Jin owes me that much, to stall the search, if I do kill Cordita. Then I'm going to lie low. Moreover the only place right now where the surname Ishikawa is used, is for your school records. Otherwise I'm still Kurosawa."

"Right. That's good to hear."

"Speaking of records… How are you going to make this Okiya Subaru guy to adopt the identity you've created for him? I mean… It's ten years in the future." Yamato frowned and stumped his cigarette in the ashtray between the two of them. Shugo just smiled and replied mysteriously, with a slightly manic glint in his eyes.

"Ten years is a lot of time to make acquaintances. A lot of time to become 'Hibiki'."

* * *

><p>The summer turned to autumn and it was time to return to the school. In the next few months a couple of more cases were encountered but not on the same frequency like in ten years. Shugo guessed the police would become crippled during those years thus increasing the crime rate in general. He also guessed it was the Organization behind it, infiltrated to the force and either bribing or blackmailing some politicians deciding the budget.<p>

There was the case of a missing script that was taken from Yusaku's editor. Shugo recalled that the plot of the story would later be used in an actual murder aboard the North Star Express. Then there also was that one case that caused Eri and Kogoro live separately. Shugo wasn't told the specifics but he remembered movie 2 quite well.

* * *

><p>But something Shugo would remember the next ten years of his life in DC World. And it was the so called Cold Case of Yusaku Kudou. It was one where Shugo himself was present too with Shinichi. Not that there was much to see in the end.<p>

"Whaat!? By 'step down' you mean you're removing yourself from this case?" Megure was astonished when Yusaku slipped under the police tape and out of the crime scene.

"Yes, well…" The novelist stated vaguely.

"No need to rely on that novelist, assistant inspector Megure… We policemen will find the culprit on our own." Kogoro scoffed from his crouch near the body. "After all the mass media is clamoring about this! That this 'death' character written in the corpse's blood may be the start of a series of bizarre murders!"

"It's fine…" Yusaku smiled. "Because this isn't a murder…"

"Huh? But… What about this 'death' character?"

"I guarantee it. I, Kudou Yusaku do that the murderer who left this 'death' character written here, will never, ever reappear..." With those enigmatic words, the man left the park the 'crime' had occurred. Shinichi and Shugo followed him a couple of steps behind. It was good they did so: Shinichi was fuming. The kid detective was certain the case was a murder and couldn't understand why his father had 'given up'. Shugo in the other hand was nonchalant.

"It was quite a coincidence, don't you think?" The shrunken computer geek mused with his hands behind his head as the trio walked towards the second block.

"What do you mean?" Shinichi glared but the other boy ignored him, continuing to look skywards seemingly deep in thought.

"It quite amazing how the streams of fate stir up their audience who are a tangled mess of red strings…" The boy continued. Shinichi was becoming annoyed. Annoyed because he didn't understand a word his 'friend' was saying. The word friend was still used quite loosely when it came to those two boys.

"Midorikawa, what are you talking about?!" And the kid detective lost his cool. Shugo blinked slowly and glanced at the annoyed kid.

"Hm? Oh, I was thinking about the death character and how amazingly coincidental it is." The computer geek grinned. "Isn't that right, Yusaku-ojisan?" Inwardly Shugo was laughing at the thought of Conan doing the same in the future: '_Isn't that right, Kogoro-ojisan?'_

"Yes, it is indeed quite interesting. Due its coincidental nature, the probability of it appearing again is very little." The mystery novelist nodded.

"Coincidence? It was a murder! It doesn't make any sense otherwise! The dead man didn't write the character by himself either!" Shinichi exploded. Shugo and Yusaku exchanged a glance before sighing and shrugging together. No can do...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know my chapters are a bit rushed but right now, more of a point is in establishing the story and basic lines than driving the plot itself forward. BUT! The next chapter is the last one of this 'file'. The next one is one three sub-files long or so.**

**BTW I hope you liked Yamato and Gin's backstory. I remember thinking about it for months before moulding it into the form it has been since then. About Rei... Because we don't know much about him, I decided to keep the mentions of him as vague as possible. But no worries to Amuro fans: he will appear in next chapter!**

**Review Replies:**

**-RyanSonofApollo:  
>Thank you very much. I'm glad you liked this.<strong>

**-Kitty Katrona:  
>Toichi will appear in next chapter. He was supposed to be in here but then Yamato's story came instead of it.<br>I'll do my best. :)**

**-Zeladious:  
>\o**


	6. File1: Subfile6

**A/N: And here's more... The last chapter of Tokyo for a while. This has many scenes, to wrap up things of this File. Which means many guest appearances. I hope you like them. :)**

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><p><strong>The First file: New world, new life<br>****Sub-file Six: Away**

Christmas came and went. So did the New Years. Shugo began to see some edginess in Yamato. It worried the boy. So he began searching free apartments from Osaka. It was perfect place. It was a place far enough to hide but also close enough to get there quickly. Big enough place to hide. Not to mention the contact he could make there discreetly… The Hondou's.

But the boy's time wasn't only planning. He still spent time with his friends and homework. And although the trio didn't have as exciting adventures than in the beginning, they still had fun. It made the time pass remotely quickly.

Other that Shugo did whenever he could was visiting different magic shows. Especially the ones where one Kuroba Toichi performed. the boy even got backstage passes to meet with the magician along with Kaito. The two boys were becoming fast friends and with common things of interest, like they'd discovered already when they met for the first time, they had a lot to talk about.

* * *

><p>"You're much nicer company than Shin-chan." Shugo stated one night when the two boys were sitting on a bridge right above a giant water tank filled with fish. It was situated on a backstage since it wasn't needed right now. And no, it wasn't for a magic trick. It was just moved aside so the restaurant where the show was, would have enough space for the trick the magicians were doing.<p>

"Sure I am, That book-nerd sound so boring and annoying, I know how to have fun." The messy haired boy grinned and leaned down to get a better look on the fish below. All the colors of them were so interesting and exotic.

"True that." Shugo laughed but sobered then when he saw how dangerously Kaito was leaning down. "Oi, Kai-chan… Be careful. We don't want you to fall in there, do we?"

"I can swim. And don't call me Kai-chan. Only my mom does that."

"Which is why I do that.I collect people's nicknames to use. That's how they won't be forgotten in the future when we grow up."

"Should I start calling you Shuu-chan then?" Kaito smirked.

"If you really have to. Yukiko-obasan already calls me that." The computer geek shrugged. He noted now how close Kaito exactly was to the edge. "Kai-chan… Really, come back here."

"I don't wanna…" The magic boy whined but then Shugo snapped.

"Kaito, there's blowfish in there too!"

"Wha-!" Kaito startled. He tried to turn around and back simultaneously, resulting him to slip backwards.

"_**Iyaaaah!"**_

Shugo watched in horror the messy haired boy to fall two meters from the bridge to the water and then to sink two more.

"Kaito!" Why weren't there any railings on this bridge. Why they hadn't been more careful? Why didn't Kaito listen to him?

Shugo was panicking. What should he do? He couldn't jump in. He wasn't strong enough to get Kaito back to the surface. The faux child ran. He ran to the restaurant where the show was just about to start.

"Toichi-ojisan!"

The magician turned slowly to face the boy. "Shugo… What is-?"

"Kaito! He fell into the fishtank!"

* * *

><p>Kaito was saved and the performance cancelled. They had been stung by one of the blowfish but thankfully he had been taken to the hospital fast enough The young magician had had to stay in the bed in observation for a week until he was finally discharged. During that time Shugo visited him every day. Even Yukiko visited once, since Kaito had been 'such a charming young man'.<p>

Toichi didn't blame either of the boys. He did say that Kaito shouldn't have been so close to the edge and Shugo shouldn't have startled him so but let it at that. He could see who the event had affected both of the boys.

* * *

><p>One night after Kaito had been discharged from the hospital, Shugo had been invited to stay at the Kuroba's. The boy had a feeling that Toichi wanted talk with him. The man probably had wanted to do so for the last year entirely but there had always been business to make it push the moment back. Mostly it had been either Shugo's research or Kaito hogging the boy for himself but also the man's two 'jobs'.<p>

So on that night when Kaito had fallen asleep and Chikage was on a late grocery shopping, Shugo came to the downstairs and the living room where Toichi was drinking tea while watching the night sky outside.

"Ah, Shugo. I was wondering when you'd come down." The magician mused as he glanced at the boy's reflection on the window.

"Well, I had a feeling you have been wanting to discuss with me about something. Probably since the first time we met." The boy smirked from his place near the sofa.

"Yes, they way you have insight in different things is certainly interesting as is the way you relay that knowledge to just the correct parties. I've been watching."

"**Kaito the Kid**."

"Exactly." Toichi turned slowly around and took another sip from him cup. "Now… could you tell me how you know all this? I promise I won't tell anyone."

"I know that." Shugo replied bluntly. "I know it because no one would believe you if you were to tell. And I'm going to leave Tokyo at any given moment and by the time I'm back… Let's say there's no one to talk."

The phantom thief frowned briefly but that's all the poker face let on. "Is that a threat?"

"No. Let's just say that I have some foreknowledge. I came to Tokyo to help my sister in future. But due some miscalculation I ended up looking like this." Shugo gestured his appearance. "Ten years younger physically…"

"Incredible…" The magician breathed.

"And you swallow it just like that because of the gem Pandora that you're after so that Organization doesn't get it first."

"Indeed." A chuckle. "I've already seen a lot of unbelievable things in my life. Seeing some sort of a time traveller just fits right in. I'm too tired to be surprised anymore."

"...I'm glad we have some understanding."

"May I ask though… what is it that you need to help your sister with? So much that you need to be in this time to be prepared?"

"There is another Organization that's manipulating Japan. I don't if it's the same that the one you have your eyes on but it doesn't matter. That Organization is dangerous and I know my sister will be mixed with it in future. Regardless of the amount of allies she has, she needs someone to watch her back without her knowing it. And more preparation I do, the safer she is."

"I see… I wouldn't anyone important to me be in danger either but sometimes… You just have to deal with the cards you've been given."

"Yeah…"

* * *

><p>Kaito… was terrified of fish. So much that his reactions were downright funny. At first Shugo laughed whenever the boy jumped up screaming about fish but then…<p>

"I really are scared to death of them, aren't you, Kai-chan?" The boy asked one day when they were in the park and Kaito had vehemently refused to feed the carps at the pond. After the accident the boys had become closer than ever and Kaito didn't even protest the nickname anymore.

"W-Who wouldn't?! They are icky and slimy and they have those scary eyes!" The magician-to-be protested a good distance away from the pond and from behind a tree. Shugo sighed and sat down on the ground near the pond.

"You used to like fish. And now you can't even eat anything with fish in it."

"It tastes like sawdust! I don't like anything of fish. Anything even a bit related to fish."

"... My horoscope is Pisces."

"..." That shut Kaito up. The messy haired boy blinked stupidly. "Oh. Does that mean your birthday was already?"

"Yeah. It was around the time when you were at the hospital..." What Shugo didn't mention was how the birthday had been on the exact day of the accident, the 28th of February.

"Happy birthday, Shuu-chan…"

"Thank you." Shugo let a smile grace his lips. Back home he would be legally an adult now… He could move out and go to university, given that his results from the entrance tests would be good enough. But here… Here he was just one eight-year-old kid among the other.

* * *

><p>Yamato walked along the corridors of one of the buildings owned by the organization. He knew that right now there were many higher ranked people inside and less of the lower ranked ones. Thus he knew both his brother and Cordita would be there.<p>

Everything was packed now. He and Shugo had been preparing to move as soon as the boy was through the first grade of elementary school.

"_We go first to Osaka and then to somewhere in Nagano."_ That was their plan. Some of their stuff was already at the apartment they'd rented with Shugo's "father's" name. Right now the two were waiting for the final bang to signal their leave. It was the last day of the term in many schools. In April the boy was supposed to beginning on the next grade. But by then they'd be far away.

"Yamato." A cold voice stopped the young man's advance. Anyone else would frozen at the sound of that voice, the owner's reputation was so terrifying and blood-curdling, and most of all widespread inside the organization, that whenever that person addressed you, one almost no doubt was more or less terrified. Even some senior members had some healthy respect towards him. Yamato in the other hand...

"Jin-nii… I didn't expect to see you here… yet." The blonde smiled, glancing over his shoulder at his older brother. Gin was wearing that same clothes that would later become his trademark look but the coat was shorter as well as his hair which was even lighter of a color than Yamato's.

"Yamato, what are you doing here?" The assassin questioned.

"Saa… I don't know…" The nineteen-year-old youngster shrugged and stepping aside to lean against the wall. "Walking around? Stalking my prey? Say, Jin-nii, if I were to kill Cordita, would you watch my back afterwards?"

The question was unexpected. It froze the emerald-eyed man, reminding him of the conviction he'd had for years.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I want out. I've had enough of the Organization and I know they don't need me anymore to keep you in check. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised to find a killing order on my head right now…"

"What do you want then, Yamato?" Gin frowned. The boy had learnt his way around his brother: skirting around the problem until the other gave in and just demanded the boy to spit it out. And usually the request was a reasonable one.

"If I do kill Cordita, which I'll do in a few hours, will you make sure that no one comes after me or that the search is delayed long enough for me to get aboard?" The damned smile didn't leave Yamato's face even though his eyes - which were almost the same color than Gin's but less cold - were completely serious now. The elder of the two brother's remained silent before asking a question on his own.

"Tell me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right here and now."

"Because you can't. No matter how easily you kill people you don't know and other members of the Organization… I'm still your little brother. If I kill Cordita - a task _you_ failed - you owe me that much of help."

"And you just assume the Organization will let you be even after I've done my part?" Gin snorted, lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag.

"Don't worry. I'll disappear for a good while and you don't need to hear anything from me." Yamato grinned before making a move to continue to his destination. "This moment is the last you see me, Jin-nii. I hope you'll take care of yourself. If you really need to contact me… Well, don't. Sayonara, onii-chan."

"Tch…"

* * *

><p>Shugo was walking home. It had been the last day of the school year. Ran and Shinichi had left with their parents (yes, Eri and Kogoro together too) to the beach to celebrate. Shugo and Yamato had declined… For quite obvious reasons.<p>

"_Cordita shall die today… If she already isn't dead…"_ The boy mused while bouncing the soccer ball he'd snatched from Shinichi right before the boy was out of the school yard. The detective kid was so 'enamoured' by Ran that he hadn't noticed a thing.

"Daisukuna~… The first grade is done now…" Shugo sighed. "Why do the years have to go on so slowly? And then there'll be that endless loop when I get to high school…"

Further the shrunken kid didn't get in his thoughts when he heard a scream. A girl's scream, and not very far either. Shugo took a sprint and rounded the corner of the block. No one. But now he could hear grunts and smacks, like someone was in a fistfight. It was near too…

Carefully, Shugo walked towards the noises. They were coming from a side-alley where two young people were surrounded by a group of thugs. And while the male of the pair was holding up on his own and keeping some of them at arm's length, he was still obviously the underdog there. The girl in the other hand… She was probably only in junior high and couldn't do much but cover on the ground.

"_Mugging?!"_

Shugo bounced the ball a couple of times before kicking it right at the head of one of the thugs. While he didn't have the force that Conan would, he had accuracy. Just enough to distract them.

The ball hit the thug, that was right about to aim a kick on the young male's stomach, right on the head, causing the criminal to stumble and fall.

"Oi! Leave Onee-san and Onii-san alone! I've called the police!" Shugo yelled, making the thugs stop. They looked at the kid. While Shugo obviously didn't pose a threat, the possibly coming police cars did. The… seven of them scampered away.

"_Seven versus one? How pathetic…"_ The computer geek thought when he stepped on the side street. "Nee… Are Onee-san and Onii-san alright?"

Once being addressed directly the two looked up. The young man with brown hair helped the girl with long black hair on her feet.

"Yeah, we are fine… Thank you for your help…" The girl smiled. She seemed nice. And somewhat familiar too.

"It was nothing. It seemed that the bad guys were overwhelming Onii-san even though he looks really strong!" Shugo grinned.

"Is that so?" The young man chuckled. "Well, who can we thank for this miraculous rescue then?"

"The name is Midorikawa Shugo. Nice to meetcha!" The boy grinned. Inwardly he cringed. The little boy act was too natural for him now…

"Well, thank you very much Shugo-kun." The girl smiled and dusted the skirt of her school uniform a bit. "I'm Miyano Akemi and this is my friend Furuya Rei. It's nice to meet you too."

Oh. So that's why they seemed so familiar. And Amuro - well, Furuya - still had brown hair instead of dyed like in the manga…

"Hey, kid, would you like an ice cream?" Rei asked then. "To celebrate the great rescue and the end of first grade. Akemi-chan and I were just about to get some."

"Really? I'd love to!"

* * *

><p>The ice cream was good and the conversation flowed. Shugo decided to start calling the duo 'Nice-oneesan' and 'Strong-oniisan'... or Akemi-neechan and Rei-niichan.<p>

"Ano saa, Rei-niichan… How did you know it was the last day of first grade for me?" Shugo asked then.

"Ah, that was easy. You were obviously in elementary school and the majority of schools let out the students today, including Teitan Elementary which is the closest one. And while you seem tall for your age, you had a tag on your schoolbag with the text 'Class 1-A'." Rei explained easily.

"Oh, I see! That's smart. There's a kid on my class that does that deduction thing too but he is annoying. Rei-niichan isn't annoying."

"Yes, Rei-san is really smart. He is probably the smartest person I know." Akemi giggled, making the said boy blush. Shugo laughed too.

"A-Akemi-chan… Please don't exaggerate." The brunet tried and seemed to be saying something else when…

"Shugo-kun!" Yamato had arrived to the park where the trio had been eating the ice cream.

"Ah, Yamato-niichan!" The faux child jumped down from the bench and hurried to the young man. "I met new people today. They are Nice-oneesan and Strong-oniisan."

"Is that so…" Yamato mused, looking up from the boy to the duo still sitting on the bench. "How did you meet them?"

"I saved them from the bad guys and they bought me ice cream. And Strong-oniisan is really smart too!"

"Yamato-kun…" Rei had stood up and walked to the blond. "You know this kid?" Was it hostility in his voice? Or something else? Akemi hurried to them too, probably to stop any fight that might occur.

"You could say so… Rei-kun." Yamato's reply was equally frosty. He then addressed Akemi. "Nice to see you again, Akemi-chan."

"Y-You too, Yamato-san." The girl gave a little bow.

"What are you doing here, Yamato-kun?" Rei asked then. His hand found Shugo's shoulder, as if a protective move to keep the boy away from Yamato.

"I came to pick up Shugo-kun. We are in hurry and since he didn't come home on his own, I got worried. One never knows what might happen on these streets." The hidden message was conveyed through the locked gazes.

"We are in hurry?" Shugo butted in. "Is that mean woman dead then?"

"'Mean woman'?" Akemi repeated.

"Yeah, Yamato-niichan said that he'd kill one day that mean woman who killed his parents. And when that day comes we'd have to leave quickly." Shugo explained with a child-like innocence. Well, as much of innocence that one can when talking about killing.

"...You killed Cordita?" Rei's eyes widened.

"Yes. And if either of you utters a single word about Shugo-kun… I'll make sure that'll be the last you ever speak." Yamato's eyes narrowed dangerously. He almost resembled his brother when he did so, speaking so coldly too. "Is that clear?"

"Y-Yes." Akemi nodded, scared. Rei remained silent but nodded too. The platinum blonde picked Shugo from the ground and lifted the boy to sit on his left forearm. He turned to leave but stated then:

"Good. Because I really rather not kill the few people I actually care about."

The stunned duo remained standing in the park while Yamato carried Shugo away. The boy continued his act as a first grader and waved goodbye to the pair. Akemi offered a wave but Rei seemed frozen still.

* * *

><p>"What was that about?" Shugo asked once he was sitting on the front seat of the Toyota and Yamato was driving the car out of Tokyo. "Why the hostility?"<p>

"...When we drifted apart, I began training more and more. At the same time Jin-nii's reputation was growing, so that made people around me wary too. Rei never liked it. He probably thinks I wanted to advance in ranks and become a person like… like Gin. Akemi-chan became scared of me and for me. So we took distance. And right then at the park… I guess Rei thought I was trying to influence you and get you in the Organization too where they'd completely brainwash you." Yamato explained. His eyes were fixed on the road and hands were clenching on the steering wheel. Shugo looked at him before sighing.

"I guess they just wanted to remain as your friends."

"Yeah… But I couldn't afford anything being used as a leverage against me."

"They knew about your desire to kill Cordita then?"

"Rei knew. I told him. Akemi-chan… Unless Rei told her, she wasn't supposed to know. Now that the bitch is dead and they know it was me… It's hard to say what will be their opinions now. I hope they can one day forgive my behavior."

"I hope so too, Sanjuu."

* * *

><p>Rei and Akemi covered behind a corner among some other members-in-training. From the end of the corridor angry voices were heard. Higher-ups were pissed. One was because one of their senior members was dead by the hands of a rookie and other was that the murder had happened inside the secured building. Moreover, the rookie had been important leverage... who was lost now.<p>

"_What do you mean you don't know where he is, Gin?!" _One of the nameless and faceless superiors raged to the man in his mid-twenties. The silverette just shrugged and lit a cigarette.

"_I mean what I say. Yamato hasn't spoken to me in months, years. I don't know what is going on in that brat's head and I'm not interested in his whereabouts. But I do am thankful for what he did. Otherwise I would've offed Cordita myself."_

The duo in hiding shared a glance. It had been indeed Yamato.

"_Then find him!"_ The superior yelled.

"_No."_

"_No?"_

"_No. Like I said… I'm not interested in that brat's whereabouts."_ And with that the man left.

"Rei-san…" Akemi began. "Will Yamato-san be alright?"

"I hope so. Especially considering…" The sentence remained hanging. It wasn't safe to mention Shugo. It wasn't safe for the pair of runaways nor for the two of them still in the Organization.

"Yes… I wish them luck."

"Me too. Good that they have a head start. After Gin declined from the assingment, it'll be harder to find someone else to take it. Rookie that kills a senior operative in a secure building and gets away? No one will want to challenge him. Yamato will become a _living _legend among us."

* * *

><p>The Toyota was parked by a roadside diner. Since neither Yamato nor Shugo had eaten anything since lunch(ice cream doesn't count), it was already the time for them to get some crub.<p>

"Yamato-san… You should probably do something to your hair. It's pretty distinctive." Shugo noted when they were walking back to the car.

"Hmm?" The young man fingered his bangs under the cap. "You're right. Do you still have the Magician's Knife with you?"

"Do you have to call it that?" The boy grumbled under his breath but pulled the mentioned knife from under his jacket. It was the same one he had taken from the wall during the Moonlight Case: hence the reason why Yamato called it the 'Magician's Knife'. Now the knife had a sheath and Shugo had taken to carry it around with him, hidden of course.

"Because we have many knifes with us and this one is a special. This is a knife of beginnings. Perfect for an occasion like this." The blonde unsheathed the knife and brought the blade to the nape of his neck, right below his long ponytail. With a swift movement the long locks fell on the ground accompanied by the dark green hair band. "From this day onwards I'll be officially _Ishikawa_ Yamato. No one will tell me anything else. And no one will take that from me."

Shugo picked up the ponytail. Wind was picking up. When the boy spread his hands apart, the wind took a hold on the long locks and lifted them up in the air, to spread them on a large area.

"It's all in the past…" The boy mused.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: It's quite annoying to keep things vague in the case something radical is revealed in the manga. I'm talking about Rei. We know next to nothing about his past apart from the fact that he knew Wataru Date and Elena Miyano... and Akemi yeah... He is a hard character to write! Oh well... BTW the brunette thing is from Gosho's interview. Rei apparently has brown hair in reality... It's significant I hear...**

**I hope you also like my intepretation of young Gin. He was pretty messed up even back then. But maybe you can understand that considering his past...**

**Shugo still is at odds with Shinichi to a degree. They refuse to acknowledge each other as friends. Shinichi is jealous every time Ran's attention is on Shugo and Shugo in the other hand is annoyed by the other boy's attitude to... well, everything. I would've loved to include Sera in this chapter too but until we know her exact relation to Ran and Shinichi, I can't really do anything... Dammit Gosho...**

**Review Replies:**

**-Zeladious:  
>o**

**-Kitty Offline:  
>Thank you very much. :)<br>Toichi is here! And so is Kaito. And his fear of fish is explained. I've always thought it is trauma-originated because of Kaito's extreme reactions...**

**()**

**Alright, next file will start in Osaka. No Heiji or Kazuha though, sorry. They won't appear until Shugo is middle schooler. Bear with me please. And review this chapter, okay? ;)**


	7. File2: Subfile1

**A/N: We got to Osaka! Meeting the Hondo siblings too. I hope you like this chapter. I only realized when writing this that timeline-wise Eisuke's accident should've happened about a year before... Oh well. It isn't that important, is it? The main thing in canon is that it actually happened. Right?**

* * *

><p><strong>The second file: Changes in life<br>****Sub-file one: Ei-chan and Hime-chan**

The moving itself went smoothly. Within a day Shugo and Yamato were at their new apartment with the old one back to the possession of the landlord. It took a bit longer to settle down then. The abrupt change and the adrenaline with it kept the two running through the night, moving things around, back and forth. They didn't get far. The new place was smaller than the previous one, with only one room that had the kitchen, living room and bedroom combined plus a bathroom and a small area to leave shoes. Two futons were spread on the floor, next to the table, ready to be cleared away every morning.

"How long are we staying here?" Shugo asked one day.

"As long as needed. Probably over summer. Then we move on to Nagano. Have you found a place for us to stay yet? For a longer if possible…" Yamato replied from his cooking. The blonde was a surprisingly good cook. The man had told he'd always enjoyed joining his mother for making the dinner.

"_And later I preferred making my own food… For understandable reasons. Jin never enjoyed cooking. I wouldn't be surprised to know that he's an awful cook and thus always eating out…" The man had stated._

"I've been looking. There's one village with a relatively cheap house that's been empty for years now. The village council is owning it now. What do you think? According to the pictures it's quite spacious and not in a terrible condition either. Besides it's quite far away but quite close too if there's ever a need to go back to Tokyo. The village is small so no one really would look in its way…"

"I'll send a letter of enquiry tomorrow. Meanwhile… how's your homework? I know it'd be stupid for you to enroll to school here only to transfer right after summer but you still have to keep up with your studies."

"Please… I'm almost halfway with these textbooks." Shugo muttered and hid behind his laptop so he wouldn't need to see Yamato's happy grin the man gave out whenever he was teasing the boy.

"That's great to hear!"

"...Can we get a piano?"

The question so out of blue that Yamato literally dropped the spoon into the soup he'd been making.

"Excuse me?" The blonde man turned to look at the boy who still didn't look up from the computer screen.

"A piano. Electrical so it won't take that much space… I'd like to play. Hoshi and I have learnt to play the piano since we were in primary school… It would be nice to play once in a while and keep up the skill. It'll also help me to improve my typing speed." Shugo rambled. "It doesn't even need to be very expensive or need to get now, I was merely thinking about the idea…"

"Oi, calm down, Shugo. I didn't say no." Yamato chuckled. "The question did come suddenly but when I think about it… why not?" The man walked up to the table and sat down. "The place in Nagano will be as much your home than mine so I find it only natural that some stuff that you want will be there too. Kami, you need stuff more than your electronics and clothes and the school books you have. So the piano is not too far-fetched idea. Just not yet. I rather have us in Nagano before getting something considerably big. I need a steady source of income too."

"It makes sense… Thank you Yamato-san."

* * *

><p>Around the time when the schools were starting again, Shugo and Yamato were walking around Osaka and getting to know the place. They were walking through a park with a clear view to the Tsuuten Tower where many families were spending time prior sending their children back to the school bench.<p>

One pair attracted Shugo's attention quite soon though. It was a boy about his (physical) age and a girl around the age Akemi was… Both of them had smooth, black hair and quite similar eyes. The pair was tossing a ball to each other. Well, trying to. The little boy tripped when trying to catch it and fell on his back. The ball rolled away.

"It's alright, Hidemi-neechan. I'll get it." The boy smiled as he got up before running after the ball that was rolling out of the park and towards the road. Shugo was running after the boy before he even realized what he was doing. But according to the actions of the sister, the same thoughts were going on in her head too. _**Danger!**_

The little boy got to the road where no cars were going on. He carefully went to pick up the ball and turned around then.

"Hidemi-neechan, I got it." And he tripped again. Right when the car was coming forward.

The brakes screeched and the boy could only stare at the car coming towards him and towering over him.

_**Bang!**_

The car swerved to the side on the last minute. Dangerously but with less momentum than when coming straight towards…

"Ei-chan!" The girl screamed. The boy flew backwards from the impact and when hitting the ground, wasn't moving. Shugo spared one glance to where Yamato was but couldn't see the man there. When looking around, the faux child could spot him behind a tree and pocketing his hand gun. Talk about paranoia… Though in this case it just might've saved the kid's life.

The girl Hidemi was on the edge of panic and well past the verge of tears. After Yamato checked the boy's vitals and concluded the neither his neck nor back were injured, he offered to drive them to the nearest hospital, an offer that was immediately accepted.

* * *

><p>The four of them, Yamato driving, Hidemi on the front seat, Shugo on the back with Eisuke lying next to him, made the way to the hospital that was thankfully close to the park. Once there, the injured boy was immediately taken to a surgery. Shugo could briefly hear that the head trauma wasn't life threatening but the internal injuries in the other hand…<p>

Time passed. Shugo was sitting alone and waiting for Eisuke to come back… Hidemi was resting in another room after giving a lot of her blood for her brother. Yamato had gone to check the place of accident and was directing the police there. A nurse was calling to Hondo Ethan and then to Mrs. Okudaira who knew Eisuke and used to know his mother.

* * *

><p>The boy fell asleep on the chair and when he woke up, he found himself in a hospital room with the siblings. Eisuke was still asleep from his surgery while Hidemi was dozing off in a chair next to his bed. Shugo in the other hand had been placed on a sofa by the window. Low voices were conversing outside the door. Looking at a clock on the wall, Shugo concluded it must be the next day already.<p>

The door opened and three people came in. First came Hondo Ethan, then Mrs. Okudaira and finally Yamato.

"Yamato-niichan?" Shugo asked drowsily while rubbing his eyes with a closed fist. The blonde smiled and walked to the shrunken teen. He crouched in front of the sofa.

"Heya, Shugo-kun. Did you sleep well?"

"I didn't mean to fall asleep…" The boy muttered.

"It's alright. We are going home now though."

"But… Ei-chan…" Shugo glanced at the sleeping boy on the bed and his sister. Ethan and Mrs. Okudaira were talking with low voices near them.

"He'll be fine. If you want to, we can come to visit him some other day."

"Okay…" The boy climbed off the sofa and hid another yawn behind his hand. Yamato took his other hand and lead him towards the door of the hospital room. On the way Ethan briefly stopped the pair to thank Yamato for his quick actions.

"It's fine. I was just thinking he could've been Shugo-kun. It's something anyone could've done and should've done..." Something in Yamato's eyes told Shugo that at some time it hadn't happened like described.

"Well, thank you anyways. You are welcome to visit Eisuke once he is feeling better."

"Is Hime-neechan going to be alright too? She looks pale…" Shugo asked suddenly, looking worriedly at the sleeping girl.

"Hidemi will be just fine." The somber-looking man smiled down at the boy. "She just gave a lot of her blood for Eisuke."

"Oh…"

* * *

><p>"They are important, aren't they?" Yamato asked as the two of them made their way to the car. "Otherwise you wouldn't have dashed immediately after the boy."<p>

"Yes. Hondo Ethan and later Hondo Hidemi work for **The Company**. Both infiltrating to the Organization."

"... The Americans, huh? I'm glad I got out then. I rather not be the one having to deal with moles." The blonde man gave out a sigh. "You're keeping tabs with Eisuke then."

"He will be important too eventually. I think I'll befriend him now and then keep contact via letters and e-mails. He'll probably need it since any time now, Hidemi will move to the States to study."

"I see. Let's keep close tabs on them then."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This chapter is also quite short due setting the situation. All in all the chapter lengths will vary a lot depending on what's going on. Besides these chapters are still more about introducing people to Shugo so he'd have the necessary connections in the future... Some are made on purpose, like the Kudou's but while Hondo's were on the list, this one was a complete accident. And right now I can't wait to get Shugo to Nagano... I love the Nagano officers!**

**Review Replies:**

**-Kitty Offline:  
>Thank you. I thought of it for the longest time. I'm glad it makes sense. :)<strong>

**-Zeladious:  
>Theoretically indeed. But they work, right?<br>Welp. ;)**


	8. File2: Subfile2

**A/N: Alright, second last chapter of Osaka. Well, last one in a way. I liked writing this chapter. Eisuke and Hidemi are my favourites.**

* * *

><p><strong>The second file: Changes in life<br>****Sub-file two: Okonomiyaki**

Once he was allowed, Shugo began visiting Eisuke regularly. Usually during those times, Hidemi was visiting too. She was somewhat somber though, as if something was about to happen. Something bad…

"Hime-neechan? Are you alright?"

The girl stopped and glanced behind her, guilty look in her eyes. Shugo was standing a few meters behind her in the empty corridor of the hospital. The two of them had gone to get some drinks from an automat when Shugo had noticed the teen's mood dropping rapidly. And even now, when confronted, she wasn't able to mask it like when she was with Eisuke.

"S-Shugo-kun, what are you talking about?" The girl let out a nervous chuckle. "I'm perfectly fine, just worried about Ei-chan."

Shugo smiled sadly at her assurances.

"Hime-neechan… Everything will be alright."

"Say, Shugo-kun… Why do you call me 'princess'?" Hidemi asked in an attempt to change the topic.

"Hm? Well, that's easy. Because all those alphabets are found in your name in a reasonable order. I also considered 'Himi-chan' for secret but… I think you are very pretty too, Pretty- oneesan. That's why you are Hime-neechan." Shugo smiled, this time brightly.

"Thank you, Shugo-kun. But don't go falling on me. I'm too old for you." The girl giggled. Good, she wasn't that sad anymore. She didn't deserve to be sad now. She had such a hard road ahead of her...

"Fall? I'm not tripping on anything. That's Ei-chan's forte." The boy blinked innocently. Hidemi just laughed and waved him over. Shugo jogged to her and she crouched down in front of the boy, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Hime-neechan?"

"Shugo-kun. I need to go away quite soon. Meanwhile, will you watch after Ei-chan?" The teen girl asked, her voice full of seriousness. The shrunken boy watched her in silence until she seemed to start fidgeting. Then he smiled softly.

"Don't worry, Hime-neechan. I'll watch after him. And someday… I'll also have your back too. I promise."

With those words Shugo dashed off, leaving the shocked girl standing there. That was the last he saw of her in a long time…

* * *

><p>"What are you doing?"<p>

_Tap tap tap…_

"Shugo, seriously, what are you doing this time?" Yamato slammed his hands on the table but the boy paid no heed on him.

"Midorikawa!"

"Huh?" Shugo looked up from his computer screen. "You said something, Yamato?"

"I asked what are you doing? After Eisuke-kun was released from the hospital, you've spend time about all the time with him when he isn't at school but since yesterday you've just typed and typed and typed…." The blonde man explained angrily. "You stayed up all night!"

"And what if I did?" Shugo squinted before hiding a massive yawn behind his hand.

"Shugo. While you may have the mind of an high schooler, you are still physically a child thus you need sleep. So either you tell me what's so damn important for you to work with day and night or I take your computer away for the rest of the summer."

"Y-You can't do that!"

"Yes, I can. I'm older than you here and in response of you."

Shugo scowled and looked away then. The action would have more effect if the boy hadn't happened to yawn again.

"Does this have something to do with Hidemi-chan?" Yamato asked with a sigh as he sat down opposite the computer geek. The boy tilted his head with a thoughtful frown on his face.

"...Not directly. It was her plead and actions in general that made me think."

"Think about what?"

"One other person that could be of use. If we manage to save her life that is. And then she'd need to hide. Which is why I've been creating this new identity lately."

"Let me guess… She is going to be part of this messed up family you've been creating?" Yamato's voice was practically laced with sarcasm.

"Well… I suppose so but you don't really have a say if it's messed up or not." Shugo shrugged, turning back to his work. "In any case the last decision is on her. If she wants to take up my offer…"

"What sort of role she'd have then?" Oh, _now_ he was curious. Shugo frowned at the platinum blond man but began his explanation.

"Takenaka Saya, older sister of Shugo and Hoshi who was raised by their aunt and uncle since she was little… The parents were even more out of the country back then and honestly Saya was an 'accident'. But uncle and auntie Takenaka raised her as their own at Hokkaido thus she didn't have much contact with Shugo or Hoshi… All in all they consider each other as cousins rather than siblings."

When Shugo had ended his explanation, Yamato's eyebrows that normally were quite hidden underneath his bangs had vanished completely. The man let out a low whistle.

"Wow… that really _is_ messed up."

"True. But in the case she refuses to use this, it's easy to delete too. Although I will add some information due the time to all of these fakes… But for now these will suffice."

"Good." Yamato reached over and snatched the laptop from the boy ignoring the dismayed yell Shugo let out when reaching for the device back. "It's time for you to get some sleep."

"But I don't want to…"

"Stop pouting and spread out your futon. You need sleep despite your own personal opinion about the matter."

One look at Yamato and it was clear the man was serious. The shrunken teenager sighed deep and gave up the argument. To be honest he was quite tired indeed. Maybe some sleep would do some good after all…

* * *

><p>"Way too good." Shugo mumbled while eating okonomiyaki. It was a nice sunny day at the end of spring. The summer holidays would start in couple of weeks.<p>

"I told you." Eisuke grinned. "This is the best okonomiyaki in town."

"Too true." The computer genius continued eating. Opposite him Yamato chuckled and continued a conversation with Ethan who was observing the two boys.

"Well, it seems it was a good idea to get Shugo-kun out of his hidey hole." The platinum blond man mused.

"'Hidey hole'? How so?" The CIA agent asked with mild interest.

"He has his own little projects he works with until falling asleep in the middle. And because we just recently moved here he hasn't had an opportunity to get many friends yet."

"But schools started, didn't they? And I get the impression Shugo-kun makes friends easily." To emphasize his point, Ethan, glanced to the direction of the boys who were chatting happily. Shugo looked up.

"I don't go to school right now." The boy told. "Because we are moving after summer again. So Yamato-niichan is teaching me everything I need to know before it. And the school books are easy."

"Oh, I see."

"Shugo, come. I'll introduce you to Souhei-niisan." Eisuke tugged the other boy's sleeve and the two left their seats. Yamato observed the behavior of the two with a smile on his face.

"It seems Eisuke-kun is doing some good for Shugo-kun." The blonde mused.

"Is that so?" Ethan hummed before changing into questioning mode. The other man and his ward had piqued the agent's interest and now when the children were out of earshot, he could fish for some information. "Say, Ishikawa-san… What could possibly be the reason for you to move so often? With a child to take care of at that?"

Yamato smirked. He'd been waiting for that. "Saa… I wonder it too. There is several reasons but they all connect to Crows circling their prey. When you shoot down one of those Crows, the rest are guaranteed to retaliate. Personally I'm just glad to have surfaced from those dark depths before sinking any deeper."

The CIA agent blinked. He understood the metaphor perfectly. After all about a week ago he'd used a similar one to his CIA colleagues he'd had with him at the restaurant. And if he remembered correctly… It just might've been Yamato who'd been sitting on the table next to theirs, his back towards the Company's workers.

"You…"

"I'm hiding if that's what you wanted to hear. I can help you with some information in order to get deeper but… I recommend you not to sink too fast. While a bait might get stuck in the throat of some greedy fish, there's also some who will see a bait as a bait." Yamato sighed and took a sip from his beer.

"What did you do? To get out?"

"I made sure the first person to be sent after me wouldn't do so… because he also wanted to kill the Crow I did."

"Who was it then?" Was the older man thinking he'd get further by this contact? Fat chance.

"If I were you, I'd stay the hell away from him. He has no problems of killing people in cold blood. He doesn't even bother to remember the names and faces of the people he has killed. As for me… I'm probably the only person who he wouldn't kill. And that's only because I'm his younger brother. But I betrayed the Organization so there's no way my name would help you to get in their good books. Just do your job like you best do. I'm certain you have skills for that…"

"This brother of yours… Who is he?" Ethan was frowning. The conversation hadn't gone exactly to the way he'd wanted to. But he did know now at least a bit more about his conversation partner.

"To the Organization… his codename is Gin. And that's all you need to know."

"I see…" Ethan took his glass to take sip while - unbeknowist to him and Yamato - a photo was being taken.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile by the counter of the okonomiyaki shop, Eisuke was introducing Shugo to the shop owner's grandson Nishigun Souhei.<p>

"Yo, kids. Eating ojii-san's okonomiyaki again until you burst?" Souhei joked.

"Hai! It's really good." Eisuke smiled brightly.

"It really is. The best I've ever eaten." Shugo continued.

"That's good to hear. Ojii-san's okonomiyaki is great indeed." The young man grinned, placing his bag on the floor but the film camera that he'd had hanging around his neck, on the counter.

"Whoa, is that a new one?" The two boy's climbed on the stools to get a better look on the camera.

"Quite new, Tago and I went to buy new cameras a few weeks back." Souhei told them.

"Can we look closer?" Shugo asked curiously while Eisuke was peering into the camera's lens.

"Sure, just be careful." The man smiled and went to order his dish. Eisuke lifted the camera up and turned it from side to side, looking at it from all 360 degrees.

"It's cool." The generally clumsy boy stated.

"True. I want to have a camera like this too." Shugo was nodding. Back home he'd really liked photographing.

"Me too!" Eisuke exclaimed and accidentally pressed the shutter when the camera almost slipped away from his grasp. Shugo went to catch it though and disaster was prevented.

"Maybe… We should just leave this be…" The shrunken computer geek suggested, placing the camera on the table right when Souhei came back. Eisuke nodded and inched a bit farther from the device… until he toppled down from the stool.

"Ouch!" Tears prickled the corners of the clumsy boy's eyes when he sat up, holding his head. Shugo slipped down from his seat and kneeled next to his friend.

"You okay, Ei-chan?" He asked. At the tables, away from the pair, Ethan was sighing and beginning to make his way towards them. Yamato just sat at his seat and watched the event fold out.

And Souhei took a picture of the two boys.

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><p>A letter was dropped down on the table in front of Shugo. Yamato sat opposite the boy, eating ice cream. Summer holidays had started and the air conditioning of their apartment was broken so it was almost boiling in there. The man's usual attire in the house was boxer and t-shirt while Shugo preferred capri-length sweatpants and a simple sleeveless shirt.<p>

"That came this morning." Yamato told the boy who was looking at the stamp and the sender's address. It was from Kuroba Chikage, one of the two people who had their new address. And probably the only person who understood why they had left. Kudou Yusaku was the other one but for now he was being kept out of the loop in regards of the Organization.

Dreading to know what the letter was about, after all Chikage hadn't sent any previous ones, Shugo ripped it open. Inside was a formal looking, black card. On the card was hand-written with white ink… an invitation to the funerals.

"Toichi-san…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Toichi is dead. TTATT The funerals are in the next chapter. So Shugo goes to visit Tokyo briefly before the move... And I've planned something else for the chapter too... :)**

**Review Reply:**

**-GAAADASGM:  
>Nice username...<br>Thank you, that's great to hear. About Akai... he won't appear yet. but Masumi... Hmm-hmm-hmmm... ;)**


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